Where You'd Least Expect
by Kindred Wolf
Summary: Smithton High was the place you'd least expect anything interesting to happen... until now. When Kai returns after staying in Russia after the World Championships, chaos and tragedy ensues. Includes pretty much all of the characters! Set after Series 1
1. Chapter 1 including Disclaimer & AN

**Disclaimer and Author Note:** I don't own any characters from Beyblade. If I did, I would incorporate some of the ideas into episodes. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this. If I did, I would be rich, and laughing at the rest of you because you wish you owned Beyblade.

Sadly, I don't own Beyblade either. cries

The following characters however, do belong to either me or my sister:

Ricardo Ashford

Cassidy Castana

Josh Clarke

Troy Davin

Tessa Hopton

Melanie Hunt

Danny Jones

Victoria 'Vicki' Jones

Jamie Kilburn

Blake Knox

Logan 'Angel' Labsun

Kelly LaVelle

Thomas LaVelle

Toni LaVelle

Trent LaVelle

Tyler LaVelle

Nekon 'Neko' Leyvra

Matthew McAllister

Dominic Minikin

Corey Mist

Rudy Nixon

Carmen 'Chameleon' Peart

Leah Prescott

Marco Pualo

Tania Sapphire

Amber Trinselle

Molly Trinselle

Natalie Woods

Jin 'Jinni' Yardale

Please ignore any e-mail addresses found in this fic. They were purely made up, so you could actually be adding a 47-year-old paedophile, so for your own safety, ignore them.

Also, this was written as one continuous story, meaning I didn't split it into chapters. I decided I would separate it, because otherwise it's a hell of a read, adding up to 258 pages on Word (Times New Roman, Font 12). So please try and ignore it if one chapter seems a bit cut short – I didn't have time to run through it all and separate it in appropriate places.

Just to let you know, I wrote this fic about three years ago; I wasn't even thirteen when I started it. It was my first fic ever, so you're gonna have to just go along with it, even though there was too much stuff packed in quickly. Even though it's a fic, even I know it's way too far-fetched, but it was something to do with my spare time.

I feel I've definitely improved since this fic, so please don't base my ability on this story alone. I'm uploading it so my profile isn't completely bare.

Thanks,

Star-Shot-Supreme 

**Where You'd Least Expect**

It was just another day at Smithton High for Cassidy. She knew that it was another day of torment and bore. Even though she was highly intelligent, she despised school, especially the people in it. They either laughed at her and made fun, or ignored her completely. She sighed as she hobbled along the street with her crutches. Her small black rucksack hitting her on her back with every step she took. She reached the front door of the school, walked through and found her locker. She quickly put in a combination of numbers and the door opened smoothly. She slid off her backpack and took a few books out. She carefully placed them in, and then slammed the door shut to lock it. The bell rang, and Cassidy made her way to her form room, Room 21.

She arrived in and sat down in her normal chair, at the back in the corner. Nobody ever sat next to her, and whoever sat in front always pushed their desk right forward, away from Cassidy. Her crutches leant against the wall next to her, as she sat doodling on a piece of paper that had previous drawings on it.

Their form tutor, Ms. Dabner, came in and took the register very quickly.

"Now class," said Ms. Dabner, clapping her hands together. "We have a new student joining us today."

A few shuffling noises could be heard from outside the door, making people look curiously at it, and causing Cassidy to look up.

"Please come in." Requested Ms. Dabner.

A tall lad of 15 opened the door and walked in. He had two-toned hair; one part was a slatish bluey-grey colour, whereas the other part was dark blue. He had two dark blue triangles, the same colour as the second part of his hair, on each cheek that looked like tribal markings, and had cold grey eyes. He was wearing a black muscle shirt with loosely fitting blue cargo pants.

"Class, welcome Kai Hiwatari." Smiled Ms. Dabner.

Even from that first moment that she saw him, Cassidy knew that he was going to be popular. Just something about the way he looked at everyone, so she didn't think too much about him.

"Well then Kai, there isn't really a choice for seating, I'm afraid." Explained Ms. Dabner. "You can go and sit at the back next to Cassidy." She said, pointing at the empty seat next to her.

Cassidy gasped slightly, as no one had sat next to her for ages. People started whispering as Kai calmly walked over and sat down, with his eyes now closed. Cassidy knew that this meant he wasn't too bothered with where he sat, let alone with who he was going to speak to. She wished that registration could last a little bit longer, as she wanted to ask him a few questions, but she also didn't want to ask him at the same time. She knew that he would be just like everyone else. A mean, stupid little cocky bastard that didn't know anything about anything.

Cassidy then noticed by the time on the clock that the bell was going to ring, so she gathered her stuff and made her way to the Art room. As she was almost there, the bell rang, so everyone ran past her to grab good seats. Kai didn't seem to be bothered, but even still, he got there before Cassidy did.

Hobbling through Room 6, Cassidy grabbed her favourite seat next to the window. She sat down and got out her pencil case, and only then did she realise that she was sitting next to Kai, again! Cassidy felt a right prat; Kai probably thought that she was desperate for him.

Their teacher, Ms. Bartholomew, was a young teacher, who was always happy. She explained the work and set the class off. Each person had to draw the one thing that they either liked about themselves, or thought was unique.

Cassidy had to think for a while at first. She couldn't think of anything about herself that she liked, so she tried to think of something that made her unique. No way was she drawing her crutches! She thought for a bit longer, and then she realised. Her eyes. Unlike most people's eyes, Cassidy's weren't circular; they were more oval/diamond shaped – like cats eyes. And for even more of a laugh, they were yellow.

Her pencil made quick yet neat marks on her paper, and her sketching was very accurate. She decided to quickly throw a glance at the drawing next to hers, which was Kai's. It was exceptional. He had outlined his whole face and hair, and was now adding more detail. Each line seemed to work a miracle on the whole thing, and Cassidy soon found herself staring open-mouthed. Kai looked up and straight at her. Cassidy gulped and started stammering, not knowing what to say.

"I . . . err . . . your drawing is . . . it's . . . err . . . brilliant." She finally stuttered out.

"Yeah, whatever." He said, and he continued sketching. "And by the way," he added. "You have quite a way with words."

Cassidy frowned and went a violent shade of red, and then went back to her own work. Sarcasm. She hated that! 'How could he be so rude?' She thought, but then again, everybody was rude to her. Cassidy worked herself into such a high level of frustration that she pressed down extremely hard on her pencil, and accidentally made a huge line through the middle of her work.

At that moment, Ms. Bartholomew came over.

"Why Cassidy, whatever is the matter? This is unlike you."

Cassidy stole a quick glance at Kai, who had stopped drawing but kept looking at his paper, to listen to what she would say.

"Nothing, miss. I just slipped." Cassidy lied.

Ms. Bartholomew looked suspiciously at Cassidy, but nodded and then walked away.

Kai went to say something to her, but then realised that she wasn't in the best of moods. He felt a bit guilty, making her ruin her artwork like that; he'd quite liked it. He went back to his own work, this time adding shadows.

By this time, Cassidy had screwed up the ruined sketch, put it on the corner of the table, and got a clean sheet. She started again, but she couldn't put her heart into it.

Everyone kept coming over to talk to Kai, and Cassidy kept hearing things like, "Maybe we can hang out at lunch?" The girls obviously having very crappy chat-up lines.

The thing that annoyed her most was when everybody said something along the lines of: "Stay away from Cassidy. She's too weird." But the strange thing was, Kai didn't seem to want to have a conversation.

When the end of the lesson drew near, Ms. Bartholomew announced that they could keep their drawings, so that when they felt low, they could cheer themselves up by looking at their unique/likeable quality. 'How stupid.' Thought Cassidy. 'I'll have to have mine permanently stuck in front of my face.'

"Miss!" shouted a girl with wavy blonde hair and a very loud voice.

"Yes Tessa?"

"Can we swap pictures?" Tessa asked.

"I don't see why not." Said Ms. Bartholomew. "Right, if you want to swap or just give your picture to someone else, do it now. You all have to stay behind for a minute after though, you need to clean this classroom. But you can leave as normal Cassidy."

And with that, everyone shot out of their seats, even if it was with a groan. The lads started making theirs into paper planes, while all the girls ran over to where Kai was sitting.

"Kai! Do you want to swap? Yours is just so good!" People shouted, but Tessa had the loudest voice, and pushed her way to the front of the crowd.

"No thanks." Said Kai, still drawing.

"But . . ." started Tessa.

"I said no thanks. Are you deaf?" repeated Kai, looking up at her.

"Humph!" said Tessa, and turned around and flicked her hair in his face.

"And if you want my opinion," started Kai, continuing to draw. "You need your hair cut. Hmm . . . maybe a skin-head style."

And that was it. Cassidy was in hysterics. Nearly every single boy she knew wanted to go out with Tessa Hopton, yet Kai seemed to want the exact opposite. Tessa was pretty, blonde, blue-eyed, the typical girly-girl. She always wore designer labels, FCUK being her favourite, and tight mini-skirts.

Cassidy hated that sort of stuff. She preferred her comfortable jeans and her white gypsy top. Her own black hair was normally tied up in some style, today being up in a bun with a white flower scrunchie.

Cassidy started gathering up her stuff, and put her newer drawing in her bag too. She totally forgot about her first drawing, crumpled up on the table, and she picked up her crutches and left the room.

After each lesson, Cassidy was allowed to leave a bit earlier, to avoid the rush and clamour. But because of the swapping of drawings, Cassidy had left a bit late. The bell rang as she had just about left the classroom, and people darted out of rooms, apart from her Art class, which was still tidying up. Cassidy could just see streaks of different colours as everyone ran past, but someone stuck their foot out on purpose.

"Aaaahh!" cried Cassidy, as she fell to the floor. Unfortunately, Cassidy had been walking in the centre of the corridor, so she couldn't get herself up.

Just then, her Art class came out, and they all started laughing at poor Cassidy, sitting helplessly on the floor. They all laughed even harder as they walked past, and then disappeared into classrooms. The corridor was now deserted.

Cassidy heard a door opening, and out stepped Kai. She frowned, remembering what he had said to her earlier, but stopped suddenly, as she looked like a sulking toddler.

"Here," said Kai, holding out his hand to her.

Cassidy was confused. Would he pull his hand away as she tried to take it? Or would he really help her up? She didn't know, but right now, Kai was her only hope. She took a deep but silent breath and gave him her hand. To her surprise, he helped her up and picked up her crutches for her. He accompanied her to her next class in Room 34, and explained to Cassidy's English teacher, Ms. Boothroyd, why she was late. He then left to go to his own English class in Room 35.

Cassidy smiled as she sat down, feeling reassured, approved of, and most of all, for once in her life someone had been kind to her.

Kai was staring out of the window, his English lesson having no impact on him whatsoever. He couldn't understand why he had helped her up, or why he had picked up her crumpled drawing. After Cassidy had left the Art room, he had quickly slipped it into his pocket.

He thought of what he could say to mean the same as sorry, but his mind was blank. He hadn't meant to make her ruin her work, but sarcasm ran in his blood. He couldn't control that. Saying sorry never came easy to anyone, but for Kai, it was extremely hard, but he knew there was no other way to do it.

He brought out Cassidy's ruined sketch and wrote a quick note on the back of it. He then tried his hardest to erase the gigantic pencil line through it, but he couldn't get rid of it completely. However, he did get the majority of it off. He folded it up neatly and decided to leave it for Cassidy to find. He started to put the drawing/note into his pocket, when his English teacher made him jump.

"Mr. Hiwatari!" Shouted Ms. Woodward. "If you continue to not pay attention in my lessons, perhaps you will concentrate and be more focused at lunch, hmm?"

Kai rolled his eyes, which was not a wise idea. He had heard of Ms. Woodward, even if it was only his first day here. People said she was the strictest teacher in the school, but he thought they had just exaggerated.

"You will not roll your eyes like that at me, young man. You are to report back here at the beginning of lunch, and you will explain to me the importance of manners. Then you shall write an essay of 600 words, no more, no less. The essay shall be on the pros and cons of Genetic Engineering." Clarified Mr. Woodward.

"Yes miss." Said Kai.

"That's yes Ms. Woodward to you!"

"Whatever," he mumbled, rolling his eyes again. That pathetic voice of hers was so high, he was surprised all the windows didn't break.

It was only his first day, and he had already got into trouble, and only two hours in. But it was all thanks to the obnoxious Ms. Woodward, who was the strictest teacher in the school. Kai didn't need to meet all of the teachers, because he knew that she was the worst.

Later on, at break, Kai was sitting coolly on a bench, one arm resting along the back. Ever since what he had said to Tessa in Art, everybody kept well clear of him, because no one could ever beat Tessa Hopton in a popularity contest.

Then, a boy and a girl walked past, their arms linked.

"Wait here a minute Toni, I just wanna talk to this new kid." Said the lad, who had dark blue hair, but had a red, white and blue cap on backwards, covering some of it. He had a long sleeved yellow shirt with a sleeveless red jacket on top, and he had a pair of plain light-blue jeans.

"Oh fine! But Tyson, hurry up!" said Toni impatiently. She had short brown hair, and matching deep brown eyes behind a pair of rectangle glasses with a black frame at the top. She was wearing a red strap-sleeved top with a picture of a cute white puppy with a black spiky collar and a black patch over one eye saying 'Born To Be Bad', navy ¾ length trousers, navy Velcro sandals, and a plastic white fang necklace.

Tyson unlinked his arm from Toni's and walked back to where Kai was sitting.

"Hey Kai! What're you doing here?" Exclaimed Tyson loudly.

"Shut up! Keep your voice down." Kai frowned.

"Sorry! So . . . like I said, what are you doing here?" repeated Tyson, looking back to where Toni had been standing, but had then wondered off to chat to some friends.

"I'll tell you, but you better keep your big trap shut, you hear?"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you." Said Tyson, taking a seat next to Kai.

Kai took a deep breath, as this story was going to be quite long.

"Well, after the World Championships, when none of you guys heard from me, I stayed in Russia while you lot came back here. But I didn't think straight, because before my Grandfather turned evil . . ."

"Dun dun dun!" interrupted Tyson, childishly.

"Shut up you bastard. Either listen or piss off!" shouted Kai.

"Alright dude, calm down."

"As I was saying, before he went crazy, I'd been staying with him. He abused me, but I stayed with him because I thought . . ."

"He ABUSED you?!" interrupted Tyson again.

"That's it! I've had enough of you already! I must have been completely brain-dead if I thought you would listen to me! It would've been a bloody miracle if you didn't interrupt!" shouted Kai, standing up.

Everybody around them stopped talking and looked at them. Kai had shouted so loud, people thought there was going to be a fight.

"And Tyson, do me a favour. If you ever breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll make sure you never breathe again!" Kai added, then walked off.

Toni had been chatting to some friends, when Kai had stormed past. She went back over to join Tyson.

"What was all that about?" Asked Toni, as she sat down next to him.

"Err . . . nothing." Said Tyson, remembering what Kai had said to him. "I'll be back in a bit Toni, I've gotta go find the other Bladebreakers. See you later." And Tyson stood up and began to walk off.

"Awww! Can't I come?" Pleaded Toni, giving him a puppy dog look.

"N . . . oh OK. But whatever I say from now on, you can't repeat to anyone. OK?"

Toni smiled and gestured zipping her mouth up. So Tyson and Toni walked off in search of the Bladebreakers.

Under a tree sat Kenny, Ray and Max, all crowded around Dizzi's plasma screen. They were looking at different ways to upgrade and improve Driger and Draciel, when they heard Tyson's voice.

"Hey guys! You'll never guess who I found!" Grinned Tyson, with Toni lying sprawled on the floor. When Tyson had spotted the Bladebreakers, he'd grabbed Toni's arm and ran over to them. Unfortunately, Toni couldn't keep up with him, and Tyson had just been dragging her across the floor.

"Whoops, sorry Toni," Tyson apologized, and he helped her to her feet. When she was standing, she said a quick hello to the Bladebreakers.

"Let me guess." Said Kenny. "You finally found your brain."

"Nope, better than that!" exclaimed Tyson. "I found Kai!"

"KAI?!" shouted the others, including Toni.

"Was that really Kai?" Toni asked.

"Yeah, and listen to this." And Tyson told them about Kai, and he had been staying with Voltaire before the World Championships, and how he had abused him.

"Then what happened?" Asked Ray.

"I dunno. He said that he must've been brain-dead to think that I'd listen to him without interrupting once."

"TYSON!" Groaned Max. "Why can't you keep your big gob shut? If you hadn't have butted in, we would've found out what he's doing here."

"Oh well." Tyson shrugged. "We can talk to him later." Tyson sat down, while Toni went climbing up the tree.

Kenny started typing into his laptop, when Dizzi said, "Hey Chief, mayday! Someone's in trouble!" Kenny stopped typing and they all looked up. They saw some kids grab a pair of crutches from a girl's hands, and left her sitting awkwardly on the floor.

"Something tells me that was no accident." Remarked Dizzi.

"Yeah, no kidding." Said Toni from high up in the tree.

Tyson, Max and Ray stood up and ran over to get the crutches back for the girl first, then help her up.

The bullies were laughing, when they heard, "Hey! Give us those crutches!" But they couldn't see who said it, because of the huge group of kids that had gathered around, watching to see what they'd do next.

"What? No way!" said one of the bullies, who was obviously the leader. "These are

Cassidy's, so why should I give them to . . . Tyson? Ray? Max?"

Ever since the Bladebreakers (apart from Kai) had started Smithton High, everybody did what they said. And it was just because they had won the World Championships.

"We said, hand over the crutches." Replied the Bladebreakers.

"Yeah . . . sure . . . here." Said the bully, handing them over.

While all this had been happening, Kai had been walking past, and he noticed Cassidy sitting on the floor again. Automatically, he went over to help her. 'Oh my God!' thought Cassidy. 'Kai's gonna think I'm a sadistic bitch who can't stand up properly . . . which I can't, but that isn't the point.'

"Hiya . . . again." Greeted Cassidy meekly, as he got nearer.

"Yep, whatever." Said Kai, and helped her up. He put her one arm around his neck, and he looked around for somewhere to go where no one would bother them.

Back in the tree, Toni shouted down to Kenny that Kai was with that girl. Kenny readjusted his glasses, and realised that it was him. He started shouting his name and waving his hands about. That definitely got Kai's attention, so he helped Cassidy over to where Kenny was. Toni decided that it might be better for her to stay hidden in the tree.

Tyson, Ray and Max ran back up to the tree with the crutches.

Kai helped Cassidy sit down next to Kenny, where he could give her a check over, make sure that she wasn't hurt badly.

"Hey are you alright?" Asked Max. "Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Cassidy Castana. My last name's Spanish. Anyway, I'm fine!" Cassidy tried to explain, but they were having none of it.

"Erm, if you've broken your leg or something, shouldn't you have a cast on it?" Asked Ray, feeling a bit awkward.

"My leg isn't broken!" snapped Cassidy. Ray looked a bit upset and very taken aback by Cassidy's response.

"Sorry. I mean, it's fine. Well, it's not fine." Cassidy took a deep breath. "When I was 3, my house caught fire, and I got trapped inside. A beam in the rafters burnt through and it fell onto my leg. Since then, I've lost all feeling in it. I can't say my life has been easy. Then, on my 6th birthday, my mom left, she said she couldn't cope with having a disabled kid. My dad didn't want to be stuck with me on his own, so he shoved me into an orphanage. I lived there until I was 10, then Matt adopted me." Cassidy looked sorrowfully at her leg. "Look, you can kick it if you want to. I won't feel a thing."

"Cool!" Said Tyson, getting ready to kick it, but Kai grabbed his leg from behind, and tripped him up, karate-style.

"No you don't." said Kai, crossing his arms. Cassidy giggled.

"Oh yeah. I forgot. Cassidy, this is for you." Said Kai, bringing out the piece of folded up paper. He handed it to Cassidy and she read a tiny note, saying sorry.

Cassidy was confused at first, and she opened up the paper. An envelope fell out onto the floor. Cassidy looked at the paper, then realised.

"My sketch! You did that for me?" Cassidy said, and she looked close to tears. Then she picked up the envelope, and it had, 'Cassidy' written on it calligraphic writing. She carefully opened it, and inside was another piece of paper. It was Kai's sketch. Cassidy couldn't believe it. No one had ever been this nice to her since . . . as long as she could remember.

"Anyway, I bet I could match your life." Said Kai, sitting down next to her. "And Tyson, if you interrupt me once, I'll never talk to you again. No one is to say a word of this, got it?" And everyone else nodded. "I lived in Balcove Abbey until was about 7, where Boris pushed me to work harder and harder. He told me that I was weak, pathetic and worthless. The one time he told me that, I said to him that if I was so worthless, why didn't they just push me out in the cold? That was stupid. I was pushed into a cold dungeon with the rats, and I stayed in there for a week, with nothing to eat. Then when I got out again, I used Black Dranzer, then I ran away. I went to stay with my Grandfather, Voltaire. There, he abused me, but I couldn't run away from him. I knew he wouldn't give up as easily as Boris did. If I ran away, he would hunt me down, and then make the suffering twice as bad. After the World Championships, I stayed in Russia, not realising I had nowhere to go. I learnt to survive in the harsh climate, using what I could to live. Anyway, I learnt that there was a load of stuff to be taken over here, so hid myself away in an empty crate. Now I'm here, in this crap-hole of a school, because I don't want to draw attention to myself. In Russia, Voltaire wants me alive. I'm a wanted man back in Russia. Now you see why I had to come here." Explained Kai.

"Whoa, you have had a tough life." Said Toni, jumping down from the tree. Kai shot up, and grabbed her by the neck of her shirt.

"Hey . . . put me down! . . . I can't . . . breathe . . . help . . . someone . . ." gasped Toni.

"What were you doing up there hiding? Tell me! Who are you working for? It's that evil bastard, isn't it?! He's on to me." Fumed Kai. The other Bladebreakers and Cassidy gasped.

"I'm not . . . working . . . for anyone . . ."Toni said, struggling to breathe.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before." Said Kai. "Tell me! Are you working for Voltaire?" Kai tightened his grip.

"No . . . I told you . . ." Toni was really having difficulty talking now.

"Who are you then?!" Kai was beginning to flare up.

"I'm Toni . . . I'm a student . . . here . . .please . . . put me . . ." but Toni couldn't finish her sentence. Kai had cut off her air supply for too long. She had stopped breathing, and gone limp, her eyes were closed.

"KAI! PUT HER DOWN, NOW!" yelled Tyson, and Kai let go. He didn't mean to do that; it was an accident.

Tyson started to perform CPR, the other Bladebreakers and Cassidy watching, worrying.

"Come on Toni, breathe!" encouraged Tyson. He kept pushing on her chest, and everyone thought that she was gone. But then, she started breathing again. It was irregular, but she was breathing.

Toni slowly began to open her eyes. She went to say something, but Tyson put his finger to her mouth. "Just rest for a bit. We thought we'd lost you."

Ray stood up and walked over to Kai. "What did you do that for? You nearly killed her!"

"I didn't mean to . . . it was an accident." Kai tried to explain.

"Murder is never an accident." Said Ray. "No one ever gets away with murder. You did luckily. Thanks to Tyson."

"No, it's okay." Said Toni weakly, her words barely a whisper. "He's under a lot of pressure Ray."

"Yeah, and Toni really doesn't need to hear someone shouting right now." Explained Max.

"Hey, I'm really sorry." Said Kai, kneeling down. "Who are you anyway?"

"Like I said before, I'm Toni. I'm Tyson's girlfriend."

Kai had to try exceptionally hard to keep a straight face. Tyson . . . girlfriend . . . those two words didn't sound right together.

"Er, can someone help me up now?" Asked Cassidy, feeling awkward. "I need to pop to my locker,"

Kai helped her up and handed her the crutches. "Do you wanna meet here for lunch?" He asked her.

Cassidy had to blink a few times before she could take it in. "Er, yeah sure. If you don't mind."

"No, not at all." Grinned Kenny. "Hey, what've you got next?"

"Woodwork in Room 27. Bleugh!" joked Cassidy, pulling a face. "You?"

"Trust me, you do not wanna know." Said Tyson, glaring at Kenny.

"OK, so I'll meet you here at lunch yeah?" checked Cassidy.

"I got a lunch detention from Ms. Woodward, but she can shove it." Shrugged Kai.

So Cassidy walked off, and Kai asked them what they had next.

"Home Economics." Replied Max.

"HOME ECONOMICS? What the hell for? Don't tell me that's what Technology topic you CHOSE to do?" laughed Kai.

"No, Kenny told us it was like skills, so we thought it was blading." Answered Tyson, who was now helping Toni up.

"Oh well, at least you can eat the profits!" Smiled Toni, whose breathing was now back to normal. More or less anyway.

"Are you okay now?" Kai asked. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that, but I gotta be on guard."

"Yup! No worries. Right then, are we going to Technology or what?" Toni said, her arm once again linked with Tyson's. She didn't give him much choice, as she dragged him away.

Max looked confused at his watch. "It's only 11:20. We've still got ten minutes before the bell."

Ray grinned. "Oh well. You never know, when Toni stopped breathing, that might have given Tyson a bit of practise."

Kai smirked and walked off toward his next lesson, Graphics, in Room 15. "See you guys later," Kai hadn't felt this good for ages. Thinking about it, the last time Kai felt so normal, was in the World Championships. But in the back of his head, images of Voltaire, Boris, the Abbey, but most of all, his mother, kept flashing, and his happiness was soon replaced with fear.


	2. Chapter 2

Tyson coughed and spluttered as flour covered him from head to foot. Toni giggled, and started to brush him down. She wondered how Tyson could get himself into so much trouble, when he was being serious or messing around. But that was what she liked about him. She loved the way he laughed at everything, the way he was so stubborn, his hair, she loved running her fingers through it. She just loved him, so much.

"Tyson, you were supposed to mix the flour into it first, then whisk it. Not whisk it straight away!" Toni laughed.

"I was trying to save time. Anyway, why does it have to be mixed in first? That's just stupid." Tyson sulked.

"Well if you don't mix it in, this happens!" said Toni, plucking at his flour-covered clothes. She could hardly tell who it was, and Tyson decided to shake like a wet dog. Bad idea. He shook a bit of the flour off, but it went all over Toni instead.

"Whoops. Here." Said Tyson, and he ran his hands under the tap. "Look, I'll wash it off for you."

Now, Kenny could see what was happening. He laughed at first, but then went running over to them. "Noo! Tyson, don't put water on flour!" He ran, but slipped in a puddle of water, slid across the floor and crashed into a table. Unfortunately, that also had a bag of flour on. It wobbled, and Kenny had a 50/50 chance of staying clean. But the fates were against him.

"AGH!" he cried, as he got masked in the white powder. Max and Ray stopped cooking to see who had screamed. When they saw Kenny lying on the floor, Tyson with his hands dripping wet, and Toni trying to sweep herself clean, and all three of them covered in powder, they burst into fits of laughter. Then, wanting to join in what they thought seemed fun; they started throwing fistfuls of flour at one another.

"Children, please. Calm down." Pleaded the Technology teacher, Ms. Fletcher, who was absolutely worthless.

Tyson, had now wiped his wet hands on his shirt, and instead of being wet, they were covered with flour, and it wouldn't brush off. It had turned to a glue-like substance. "Aww, man!" moaned Tyson.

Max swallowed an enormous amount of flour that Ray threw at him, and had a dry throat. Ms. Fletcher didn't allow Max to have a drink, so his throat became sore, and he began to lose his voice.

"Hey, cut him some slack, miss." Said Ray. "Look, he can't talk!"

"All the better for me. I have a pounding headache. I think it's turning into a migraine."

Because of Max's condition, everyone stopped what they were doing; even the behaved kids stopped cooking. They all crowded around him, offering him some of their drinks, but Max was too polite to take any. Tyson looked left out, no one cared about him having a sticky substance on his hands. So Tyson decided to create more havoc. He ran around, chasing all the kids everywhere, his hands held out in front of him like a zombie.

Everyone screamed, and ran away, some were even running out of the classroom. Ray was helping Kenny up, and Toni was trying to persuade Max to have a drink. Ms. Fletcher had seen enough chaos for one day, and she screamed at the top of her voice.

"Right you five," She screamed, pointing at Tyson, Toni, Kenny, Ray and Max. "Report to Head of Year's office right away!"

"Can't I clean myself up first?" asked Toni, tugging at her clothes.

"NO! Go now to Head of Year's office. And Mr. Granger," said Ms. Fletcher, now a bit more relaxed. "You are most likely to be suspended, looking at your past record."

Tyson's mouth opened in shock. He hated school, but he never wanted to be suspended. He only wanted to cause a bit of mayhem, not this. He only wanted to make school more fun. Toni gently placed her hand on his shoulder, nudging him out of the room.

"Suspended?" Tyson whispered.

"Hey, think of it as a chance to catch up on homework." Kenny said, trying to be optimistic.

"If I stayed at home for a week or so, I think Grampa might notice . . . OH NO! Grampa! What'll he think?" Tyson swallowed.

"Never mind." Said Ray. "Maybe he'll just . . . erm . . ." But stopped short, thinking of nothing to help make Tyson feel any better.

"At least you haven't got a sore throat." Said Max hoarsely, but it sounded more of a whisper.

"Hey Max, I think you've got something wrong with your throat. Even if you have just swallowed a load of flour, it shouldn't sound like that. Let me see." Said Kenny, and Max opened his mouth as wide as he could.

"Aha! Just what I thought." Said Kenny. "There must have been some baking powder in that flour, as it helps to make things that are heated rise, in your case your throat. It's called Glandular Fever. Your tongue and throat have swollen, and you need to see a doctor immediately."

"Glandular Fever?" Asked Ray, still a bit confused. "Is it serious?"

"Can be," said Toni. "I've had it twice before, the first time I couldn't eat anything for a week, and the second time I couldn't eat anything for 6 days. I could only drink this strawberry milkshake stuff called Yazoo. I used to absolutely love it to bits, but now I despise it. YUK!" And she pulled a face.

Max didn't look particularly well; his face was as white as a sheet, and his eyes were slightly out of focus.

"Hey buddy, maybe you should go home." Suggested Tyson, placing his hand gently on his shoulder. Max nodded slightly, but didn't seem to have heard a word that they had said.

They walked down the corridor, and reached the Head of Year's office. Mr. Smith. He was fine as a History teacher; as he was also a subject teacher as well as Head of Year, but when it came to see him as Head of Year, the punishments were severe. Tyson gulped and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a deep voice.

So, all five of them walked in, Max lagging behind them.

"Ah, I've been expecting you." Nodded Mr. Smith. "Please, sit." And he gestured towards a few chairs in the corner. Everyone stood aside and let Max sit down first, then sat down themselves.

"Ms. Fletcher gave me a ring from Room 28, saying you were disturbing a Home Economics lesson. Is this true?" He asked, and everyone was actually surprised at how calm he was.

"Yes." They replied.

"But it wasn't my fault," started Tyson. "It was . . ."

"Now, now. Let's not play the blame game. Now young man," said Mr. Smith, looking towards Max. "You don't look too well. Do you want to go and see the Nurse?" Max nodded slightly again, and stood up. He walked out of Mr. Smith's office and down the corridor to the Nurse's room.

"Now Mr. Granger, I shall deal with you first. As you know, your permanent record is not the best one, and I'm afraid this will have to go onto it." Mr. Smith explained. "I haven't got much time to clarify this, as I'm late for a meeting as it is. But, I shall arrange a meeting with each of you separately."

"Even Max?" Asked Toni. "Because he's just like a victim really."

"I'm afraid Max too. Anyway, return to Reception, where they shall keep an eye on you until lunch. I don't think Ms. Fletcher would be very happy if I sent you back right away. Now, if you'll excuse me." Said Mr. Smith, gathering up papers and putting them in his briefcase.

So, Tyson, Toni, Ray and Kenny dawdled along to Reception. They sat down on the sofas in the foyer, which were originally meant for visitors. They all had a glum look on their faces, when someone walked past.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Asked a girl.

"What do you care? You're only asking because they're the Bladebreakers." Mumbled Toni. None of them looked up at her.

"Nuh uh." Said the girl, shaking her head. "I'm asking because you're my sister."

At that point, they all looked up, and saw a girl who was quite tall, had shoulder-length dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. She was wearing a pink top with 'REBEL' written on in white, a white, knee length denim skirt with tassels and pink feather earrings and necklace. She also had a tiny diamond nose stud in, and white slip-on sandals on her feet.

"Kelly!" said Toni, jumping to her feet. "What're you doing here? I thought you were going to that posh-nob school!"

"I was." Laughed Kelly. "But everyone was too snotty. And anyway, it wasn't a posh-nob boarding school. It was for boffins."

"Well you are a boffin." Said Toni. Tyson, Ray and Kenny were all exchanging confused looks.

"Oh, sorry." Apologized Kelly, seeing their faces. "I'm Kelly, Toni's sister."

"You never told us you had a sister!" said Tyson.

"You never asked." Shrugged Toni.

"Actually, yes we did." Said Ray. "Remember, when we walked with you to school?"

"Oh yeah. Maybe I thought that you meant in this school." Replied Toni.

"Oh yeah that's real nice Tone (!)" said Kelly sarcastically. "Pretend like I don't even exist."

"I forgot!" complained Toni. "I hated that posh-nob boarding school you went to, so I tried to block it out of my head. It obviously worked. And, I accidentally blocked you out of my head too."

"Never mind. I'll never let you 'forget'," said Kelly, gesturing quote marks. "Me again. I'm coming to this school staring tomorrow. Today is just a look around day."

"OK. Anyway, I'd like to introduce you properly to my friends. This is Tyson, Ray, and Kenny." Toni smiled, pointing to each of them in turn.

"Hi," they greeted. "Are you going home now, or are you staying for the rest of the day?" Asked Kenny.

"Whatever, I'm not bothered. I'm allowed to walk into any lesson and join in if I like. I think I'll stay for a bit longer." Kelly grinned. "Do you mind if I join you guys for lunch? I don't know where anything is really, and I'd be really grateful if you could show me where the canteen is."

"Canteen? We don't have one. You have to bring your own lunch." Said Ray.

"Well that's just great! Oh well, I'll just have to starve then, won't I? Where do you guys eat your food then?"

"Under the tree, but it's especially for Bladebreakers and VIPs. Kel can be a VIP, right Tyson?" Toni asked, and Tyson shrugged but nodded as well. "Yeah, sure you can eat with us." Said Toni. "It's no problem."

"Thank you!" cried Kelly. And the bell rang. So, Tyson, Ray and Kenny set off towards the tree, and Toni and Kelly, lingering behind.

Even though they were sisters, they had so much to catch upon. Kelly had gone to Madame Luton's School for Gifted Children. It was a boarding school for boys and girls aged 4-16, (as they had a nursery) but Kelly had hated it. Everyone was so polite and proper, what she wouldn't have done to be with normal, rude people again. She had phoned her parents, saying that she didn't like it, and that they were filling her head with useless information, so her parents brought her home.

Toni and Kelly finally reached the tree, where Tyson, Ray and Kenny were sat, and three other people. Kelly sort of knew two of them, but the third looked so familiar. The third was a girl, but she wasn't paying any attention as she was listening to a Walkman and bobbing her head along to the music, so hadn't realised that Kelly had come over.

"Who's this?" Kai said, pointing at Kelly.

"I'm Kelly, nice to meet you Kai." Greeted Kelly, nodding at him.

Kai went to ask how she knew his name, but stopped as he realised what a stupid question it was.

"What are you doing here?" he enquired.

"Don't kill her too Kai," laughed Tyson, but he stopped suddenly when he got a death glare. "Hey, I was only kidding!"

"Well, I'm starting this school tomorrow, and Toni said I could eat with you guys. It's not a problem is it?" asked Kelly.

"Yeah, it is." Replied Kai.

"Oh thank you!" cried Kelly, running up to him and giving him a quick hug. "No one's been this rude to me for months! Anyway, I'll see you later people! Bye!" And Kelly started walking off.

"Hey! We said you can eat with us!" Toni shouted after her.

So Kelly stopped and turned back around. "Well, if Kai don't want me to, then I can go somewhere else. It's no big deal."

"Nah, just ignore him. He's in a mood because he nearly killed me," Shrugged Toni.

"What do you mean?" Asked Kelly, looking a bit worriedly at Kai. She never in a million years thought Kai could kill someone, no matter how cold he was. Kelly knew all about Kai's betrayal to the Bladebreakers in the World Championships, and thought that that would be the end of it.

Kelly actually knew quite a lot about the Bladebreakers, as when she attended Madame Luton's School for Gifted Children, she spent most of her time in the computer suite. She was always researching Beyblades and Beyblading teams. She found out things that even some members of the BBA didn't know, and found out things that astounded everyone.

"Nothing, he just nearly strangled me to death. It's OK though. Look, still breathing." Said Toni, grinning.

"Oh well, it wouldn't have been a big loss." Came back Kelly.

"Hey!" And Toni slapped her, but only to receive one in return.

So Kelly sat down on a low tree branch, where she could see everyone. She hadn't noticed Max just sitting there before, she was sure he would've said something normally.

"Hey Max, what's up?" she smiled.

Max mouthed something, and then pointed at his throat. He started making gestures about walking, and he stuck his tongue out and pretended to examine it.

"He said, that . . ." started Ray, but was interrupted.

"He said that he's got a really sore throat, and he went to the Nurse's office, she examined it, but won't let him go home." Recited Kelly, and pulled out her pointy tongue at Ray playfully.

Ray just laughed, and then pulled out some food.

"Are you gonna be okay Maxie?" Asked Kelly.

Max nodded, and did his best to smile. 'Aww, poor Maxie,' thought Kelly. 'I've never seen him like this. It doesn't look good when anyone's ill, but Max . . .' and her thought stopped short. She realised she'd been staring at him while she was thinking. Her face started to go bright red, so she started to climb the tree.

Kelly then tried to figure out who the new girl was. She had seen her before, she could swear it. Now, she just had to figure out who she was and where she had seen her before. When Kelly noticed who it was, her mouth dropped open. 'No way . . .' she thought. She leaned forward to get a better look.

"AAH!" cried Kelly, as she fell out the tree. She landed on the floor in a heap. "Ouch," winced Kelly, as she had fell on her leg and bent it the wrong way.

When Cassidy heard the scream and saw someone fall out of the corner of her eye, she pulled her earphones out and gasped.

"Kelly?" Cassidy thought aloud.

Kelly looked up, and screamed in delight. "I was right! It is you Cass! OH MY GOD!" She got to her feet and walked over, limping a bit. She rubbed her leg as she sat down.

"What're you doing here?" they asked in unison, and then they both laughed.

"Well, you left first, so tell me." Kelly said.

"I left because I was getting bullied, and not only that, my mom and dad dumped me at the orphanage. Because I was crippled. They wanted a normal kid who would do well in their studies, and go to college and university." And Cassidy pulled a face, sticking her fingers in her mouth and making gagging sounds. "The orphanage couldn't pay the fares, so they sent me here. When Matt adopted me, he said it was OK for me to go back if I wanted, but I like it here. What about you?"

"I couldn't stand it any longer. When we were little I thought it was normal for everyone to be so polite, but I knew that it wasn't as I got older. I told my parents, and they brought me out. Today is just a look around day. But I can walk into any lesson, so it's not too bad."

Kelly sat down next to Cassidy, and then they were like in their own little world. They were exchanging addresses and phone numbers, and just chatted randomly. Everybody else didn't seem to exist, as thought there was a barrier separating them from the rest of the world.

The Bladebreakers looked at Toni, who shrugged. "Don't ask me!" she said, shaking her head. So, Kelly and Cassidy sat chatting, while Toni and the Bladebreakers ate their food. Cassidy shared her lunch with Kelly, and they laughed about all the trouble they used to get into.

'Today has been a very strange day,' thought Cassidy, as she listened to Kelly. 'A real hot guy is hanging around with me and being really cool to me, and my best friend from nearly 10 years ago is gonna start here tomorrow. Weird or what? I've made more friends in one day than I have in my entire life.'

'I can't believe how wicked today has been!' Smiled Kelly, as she nibbled on a chocolate bar. 'I'm reunited with my sister and my best friend, and made friends with the Bladebreakers. Well, sort of friends. But I feel sorry for Max, poor guy. I can't wait to start here tomorrow!'

'OK, this is freaky. Finding out about Kai's past, then nearly getting killed by him, then meeting my sister. How this day can get any weirder, I'll never know.' Toni wondered, and then smiled as she thought about Tyson. 'Tyson is so cool, he's always really funny, and he really likes me.'

'Why am I so protective of Cassidy? Maybe it's because she's disabled, or maybe it's because . . .' But Kai couldn't even think it. 'I'm too tense to be at school, I think someone might notice soon. Like when I nearly killed Toni, but thankfully Tyson managed to revive her. I need to make sure Voltaire never finds me, or my friends.'

'Toni is so cool.' Thought Tyson. 'She's funny, but she cares at the same time, and she hates seeing people getting bullied. Kinda reminds me of me. But how she could forget she had a sister is beyond me. And the Bladebreakers are back, but how Kai could act so cool all the time is amazing. I could never do that if I were in his shoes.'

'Hmm. I'll have to remember to put this information into my database.' Noted Kenny, opening his laptop. 'Kai's back with the Bladebreakers, Tyson's girlfriend has just been reunited with her sister, Kelly, and Kelly has been reunited with her best friend from 10 years ago, who happens to be Cassidy, the new girl hanging around.'

'I don't know how to feel, probably happy.' Supposed Ray. 'But, why should I feel happy about knowing that Kai is a wanted man? Or that Max is suffering from Glandular Fever? It's too confusing. Why does everything have to happen in one day, then nothing happens for a month? Can't it be evened out?'

'I hate Glandular Fever,' whimpered Max silently. 'It hurts. And why does it have to happen today of all days? I've got so much to talk about. I wanna talk to Kai properly; I haven't met Cassidy or Kelly well, and I wanna eat! It hurts too much, I hope it goes soon.'

All these thoughts were similar, yet different at the same time. A mixed up day, and they were only halfway through. If anything else happened this surprising it would probably be one of the most exciting days at Smithton High in history.


	3. Chapter 3

It was registration soon enough, and Kelly decided to join Cassidy and Kai to see what their typical registration period was like. As soon as she had walked through the door, Kelly noticed that everyone stared at her as she came in. She walked through the class and stood at the back. Cassidy sat down, and Kai next to her. He moved his desk over so the desks were together, and he whispered something to her. All Cassidy managed to catch was 'bit beasts'. Then, Ms. Dabner came in, and said with a grin,

"Another new student? We had one just this morning!"

"No miss, I'm just here on a tour, I start here tomorrow. I am thoroughly enjoying my visit so far." Kelly replied, and smiled.

Cassidy smacked herself in the face. She had forgot to tell Kelly one of the high-school rules. If you came to Smithton High, never be polite. It was an invitation to a fight, no matter if you were a girl or not, as Cassidy had found this out years ago. She noticed as most of the boys started clenching their fists and clicking their fingers, ready for a good beating.

Ms. Dabner took the register, and Cassidy left earlier as usual, and dragged Kelly with her.

"What do you think you were doing?!" Asked Cassidy in frustration.

"Well, I was telling her that . . ." Kelly started, but got cut short.

"Never be polite to anyone in this school, be it teachers or pupils, it's just asking for a fight!"

Kelly's face darkened. "Well thanks for telling me. I'll just wait outside the class, shall I? Look at myself for the last time before my face gets smashed to a bloody pulp?! I don't think so. I'm going home. See you tomorrow, Cass." And she walked off, towards the exit.

Cassidy hadn't meant to be that hard on her. She had just wanted to get it clear. 'I suppose I deserve this don't I?' thought Cassidy. 'Shouting at one of your only friends isn't the way to go.' Cassidy was troubled as she walked to her second half of her Technology lesson, and hoped that Kelly would be OK.

Nothing happened for the rest of the school day, apart from Cassidy wondering about Kelly. Kai got a longer detention from Ms. Woodward that had been in the register. It was for missing the lunchtime one, and it was for after school on Monday.

When Cassidy got home, she rushed in to find Matt sitting at the table in the dining room. She went over to him and pulled out a chair beside him.

"Hi Matt. Guess who I saw today and is starting Smithton tomorrow?" She asked teasingly.

Matt had a pencil behind his ear and a pen lid between his teeth. He had a mountain of paperwork in front of him.

"Dunno." He replied, the pen lid bouncing up and down. "Who?"

"Kelly!" cried Cassidy. "Right," she said, starting to explain, as she saw his confused expression. "Before I started going to Smithton High, can you remember I used to go to Madame Luton's School for Gifted Children? Well, when I was there my best friend was Kelly, and I met her again today!"

Matt's face lit up. It was such a relief to see Cassidy happy again. It had been such a long time since she had smiled like that, and normally when she came in from school, she'd go straight to her bedroom and put on her music. Cassidy's usual routine was to come in, go to her bedroom, put on her music and turn the volume right up, and then log onto the computer for a few hours. Then she would come out for a snack, as she never really ate much food, then go back into her room and do her homework. Matt hardly ever saw her.

"So, how's your day been?" Cassidy asked Matt.

"Fine I suppose. Been up to my neck in paperwork again, as you can see." He said pointing at the enormous pile of paper. "I feel as though I've done half of it, and then it looks like I have even more work than when I started! Here's a tip for you Cass, never go into organizing events for a job! It's nothing more than bloody hard work!"

Cassidy giggled. She hadn't heard Matt crack a joke for ages. But then again, she hadn't really spoken to him apart from the daily 'Good morning' and 'Good night'. She felt terrible as she realised this and her face drooped.

"What's up Cass?" Asked Matt, seeing her face drop. "I haven't spoilt your dream job have I?"

"Nah, you're alright. Anyway, you know you told me about the upcoming Beyblading tournament? Well, I was wondering, erm . . . can anyone enter?"

"Any reason why you wanna know?" he asked, but Cassidy shook her head innocently. "Alright. Yeah, anyone can enter. But you have to register with Mr. Dickinson or myself. Any other questions?"

"Yeah, actually." Said Cassidy, remembering what Kai had said to her earlier in registration. "What's a bit beast?"

"A bit beast? Well, I'm no expert on them, but I know they're powerful spirits that live inside chosen Beyblades. If you really wanna know about them, you'll have to talk to Mr. Dickinson. He'll probably direct you to somebody else though, as he's a very busy man."

"That's OK. Is there anyway I can reach him?" asked Cassidy.

"Hmm. I'm guessing that you wanna know about them because it's important to you." He said, and Cassidy nodded her head. "OK then. If you email him at S. and in the subject box put that you're related to me, then he should email back quite quickly. He's got loads of contacts, so he should be able to recommend one to you."

"Thanks Matt." Said Cassidy, and she disappeared into her room.

She logged onto the computer and onto the Internet. She emailed Mr. Dickinson at the address Matt had given her, and wrote:

Dear Mr. Dickinson,

I am Cassidy Castana. I am the foster daughter of Matthew McAllister. I was wondering if you would help me find out about 'bit beasts'. I know you're the manager of the Beyblade Association, but if you couldn't help me personally, then could you please recommend someone to me? It would really help me a lot. Thanks.

Signed: Cassidy Castana.

Cassidy hit the 'SEND' button then logged off. She had too much homework to do tonight, so she would have no free time to do what she wanted. She sighed and turned on her CD player. She skipped past the first track, and pressed the 'repeat' button. She loved track 2. It was 'How You Remind Me' by Nickelback. It was going to take her forever to do the homework.

Over at the LaVelle's house, Toni was repeatedly telling Kelly about Zeo and all her other friends that didn't go to Smithton.

"Oh, and there's Zeo, and there's Tala, and Spencer, and . . ." started Toni again.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. And there's Ian and Bryan. You've already told me." Kelly said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry. I'm just really excited about you coming back. Oh yeah, and there's Wyatt. He goes to Whitney Prep, the same school that Kai used to go to. And by the way, before I forget, I gotta record a show that's on at 4.00pm tomorrow for Zeo, OK? I can't miss it, else I'm dead." Said Toni, miming cutting her throat.

"Yeah, yeah. OK." Said Kelly.

The next day, Max's so called Glandular Fever had turned out just to be a mix of a sore throat and dehydration. When he had got home the night before, he had drunk loads, and went to bed early. When he got up in the morning, it had totally cleared up.

Kelly walked to school wearing a sleeveless shirt with a blue, white and sea green tie-dye effect (like a combat top except in sea colours) and 'ARMY' studded in diamonds, deep grey ¾ length trousers and white trainers with navy stripes. A navy blue Nike bag was slung over one shoulder, and she was humming a catchy tune to herself.

She arrived at school quite early, so there were only a few people about. So, she decided to walk around for a while, make sure that she understood where everything was. Her form room was to be Room 9, which was a Maths room, and her new form tutor was someone called Mr. Millard, so she wouldn't know anyone. Kelly wasn't too worried about making friends, she'd had no trouble in her previous schools, and anyway, she had Cass, Toni, and the Bladebreakers. She wandered over to the lockers, and spotted her own. Locker 225. She'd been told yesterday about where the lockers were, where her form room was, all the stuff that she would need to know.

Kelly looked at her watch. It was only 8:30, and registration wasn't until 8:50, but people came flooding in. She drifted to her locker and opened it, and saw a mouldy lunchbox in there.

"Ew!! Gross!" she moaned, as she picked out the lunchbox by the tip of her fingers, and threw it across the hallway. "Yuck yuck yuck!!" And she wiped her hands on her top.

Unfortunately, the mouldy lunchbox hit Troy Davin, one of the toughest kids in all of Smithton High. He was in Cassidy's and Kai's form class, and he happened to be the one who had cracked his knuckles in registration yesterday. His cold grey eyes darkened, and his long messy red hair seemed to flare up. This stood out masses from his very pale skin. He was wearing a red t-shirt, baggy faded purpley-blue jeans, a black hoodie top with red cuffs, and black trainers with red and silver studs. His cronies, all the Troy Davin wannabes, stared at Troy, then at the person who had threw the lunchbox. They started walking over to Kelly, but Troy held them back.

"I'm dealing with this, you got it?" said Troy, but it was more of a statement than a question. He stomped over to Kelly, who was cowering by her locker.

"What was that for?" seethed Troy, face full of anger and hate.

"I . . . didn't . . . it was an accident . . . I didn't . . ." stuttered Kelly, staring up at Troy, who stood a massive 5'10".

"Oh yeah. I forgot. Posh nob polite kids never do anything wrong do they (!)" said Troy sarcastically.

Max had walked through the main entrance door by now, and was making his way to his form room, Room 8, with Tyson, Ray, Kenny and Toni, which doubled as a Drama suite with Ms. Yates, when he had heard Troy's rough voice, and a softer voice. So he looked around, and saw Kelly getting a mouthful off Troy. He didn't like seeing people get picked on, so he stepped in.

"Leave her alone Troy. She's new here." Said Max, pulling him backwards.

Kelly knelt down on the floor and started to gather her stuff up, as Troy had emptied her bag across the floor, and trampled all over it. Troy ignored Max, and pulled Kelly to her feet.

"I put it on the floor, so it stays on the floor, you got that?" fumed Troy, his hands tightly around her collar. Kelly managed a nod, and whimpered slightly.

"I said, leave her alone!" cried Max, and pushed him to the floor, causing him to lose his grip on Kelly.

"What, you want some, Tate? Bring it on!" raged Troy, jumping to his feet. His hands in a fighting position, he jumped back and forth on his feet.

By this time, quite a crowd had gathered around, including Tyson, Ray, Kenny, Toni, Cassidy and Kai. They all watched, none of them getting involved, as they knew Max could walk away unhurt.

Max and Troy circled each other, Max waiting to dodge, Troy waiting to get a clean shot. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Troy launched forward, Max didn't dodge in time, but Kelly intercepted the hit. She took the punch to the eye, and was struck backwards and hit the lockers behind her. She fell to the floor, her hand covering her eye.

"Kelly!" shouted Toni and Cassidy together, and running forwards from the congregation of people. They reached Kelly at the same time, and comforted her.

Max couldn't believe it. Troy had hit a girl, because of him. Max had reached the end of his tether. It took a lot to get Max to lose his temper, but this was one of those things. He reeled his fist back, then hit Troy in his stomach. Troy staggered back a few steps, then glared at Max.

"Wrong move, Tate!" growled Troy, and started stomping back towards Max, but Kai stood in the way, with Ray and Tyson behind, backing him up. Troy stopped in his tracks. "Hey, you're that Hiwatari guy. So, we finally meet." He held his hand out to Kai. "Troy Davin, following in your footsteps. You were the legend of Whitney Prep School."

"If you were following in my footsteps, I would take a different path." Kai said, his arms crossed. Seeing Troy's confused face, he decided to put it another way. "Is this clear enough for you? I never bullied anyone, and I never hit anyone, let alone a girl," and he pointed towards Kelly. "Piece of advice, mate. Get lost."

Troy looked fiercely at Kai, but realised he was beaten, for now. He turned on his heel, and stamped down the corridor. His cronies followed, and everyone else in the crowd, hearing what Kai had said, departed rapidly.

Max turned around and grinned at his teammates, then noticed Kelly still sitting on the floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Yeah, no problem!" Said Kelly, but Max spotted a few crystal tears sliding down her rosy cheeks.

"No, you're not." Replied Max, and he sat down next to her. "Why did you take the hit? I could've taken it no problem, but look at this," he said, removing her hand from her right eye. It had started bruising up, and the top of her cheekbone had swollen slightly.

Ray, knowing how it felt to want to have a private chat, nudged Kai, and then gestured away from Max and Kelly. Kai nodded, grabbed Tyson's sleeve, who grabbed Toni, and dragged them off. Cassidy gave a reassuring glance to Kelly, then followed Ray and the others.

"Look," said Kelly, wiping away her tears. "I'll be fine." She forced a smile onto her face, and then got up. She started picking up her stuff again, and Max gave her a hand. They both reached for the same book, and their hands met. They both pulled away, and looked each other in the eyes.

Kelly coughed slightly, and slid her stuff into her bag. She stood up, and went to walk to her form room.

"Wait!" said Max, stepping forward. Kelly stopped and turned around. "Er . . . do you wanna have lunch with me later?" Asked Max, looking down and shuffling his feet.

Kelly smiled for real this time. "I'd love to." She replied, and then with a flick of her hair, she turned around, and walked off, saying, "I'll see you later then."

Max punched the air silently, and happily walked to his form room.


	4. Chapter 4

Kelly new form room was Room 9, only next door to Max's and the others. Kai's and Cassidy's was at the opposite side of the building, so they would only see each other in break and lunch, and maybe a few lessons. Because of her chat with Max, she was late for registration, but her teacher, Mr. Millard, who was a Maths teacher, let her off, as it was her first day at school. Kelly was introduced to a group of five girls, who sat in the corner.

"Right, Kelly. These are The Five. I think they're pretty much known all across the school. They'll show you around for the first few days." Mr. Millard said, before walking back to his desk.

Kelly felt awkward. "Erm, hi." Said Kelly, trying to put on her smile, as she felt like she was invading their personal space.

"Hi!" said a girl with shortish brown hair. She had a short white skirt on and a pink top. "I'm Hilary, nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, I'm Mariah." Said a girl with pink hair. She had a ribbon tied in it that looked like cat ears, and was wearing a pair of flared jeans and a white frilly gypsy top.

"I'm Salima, " smiled a girl with reddish hair, who was wearing tight black leather pants, and a strappy red top that reached just above her navel. She had a zipper style belly piercing in too.

"I'm Emily." Said a girl who was also wearing a white skirt, but it had a denim look, and an orange t-shirt. She had ginger hair and small round glasses.

"And I'm Mariam," grinned a girl with blue hair. She had a red hairband holding it up neatly, and was wearing a black hooded top with 'OFFSPRING' written on in jagged grey writing. She also had flared jeans on, but were baggier.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Kelly, and before you ask," said Kelly, noticing them glancing at her eye. "I got two words for you. Troy Davin."

They all looked at each other, and then rolled their eyes. "He's a piece of trash. A complete waste of space." Said Mariah.

"Yeah, a total jerk." Agreed Hilary. "Here, sit down," And she pulled a chair out next to her.

"Thanks," said Kelly, taking her bag off and sitting down. "So, how long have you guys been here?"

"Since we were like, 11. So we've known each other for quite a while." Said Mariam, as she counted off the years on her fingers.

The bell rang for their first lesson of the day, which was P.E, so they all made their way to the Gym. It was huge considering how small the classrooms were, but that might have been because that Smithton High specialised in Sports, so they had a wide range of equipment, from benches and mats to trampolines and beams.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Kelly when she walked into the changing room. "What are we using today?"

"Nothing really. We're doing netball at the moment, but it's really cold in there. Don't forget a sweatshirt," advised Salima. She plonked her bag onto one of the benches, and started getting undressed, as did all the other girls.

The boys had their own separate changing room, across the hall from the girls', but not many of them used it. Most of them had their kit on underneath their clothes. This meant they only took a fraction of the time to get ready than the girls did.

The girls changing room door opened, and in walked Cassidy and Toni, and some other girls who were obviously in Toni's and Cassidy's forms.

"What are you guys doing here?" Asked Kelly.

"Well, we're supposed to be having Ms. Kirby for P.E, but I guess she couldn't handle us lot again today, so she skipped school. You watch, she'll be on Monday." Smiled Toni, and she squeezed into a seat next to Kelly.

"And my class is doing P.E too, but our teacher is holding an exam. I'm excused, naturally." Said Cassidy. "Tyson, Max, Ray, Kenny and Kai are doing P.E too. But look, they're already in there." And she pointed through a blackened window, so no one could see in but they could see out, into the Gym. True enough, there were the Bladebreakers.

"Erm, Toni, Cassidy, let me introduce you to a few friends of mine. This is Hilary, Mariah, Emily, Mariam and Salima." Pointing to each one in turn. They each smiled and nodded at Toni and Cassidy.

"The Five." Toni laughed. "I wish I was a member of a group like that."

"You are. Remember, the Bladebreaker VIPs?" Cassidy said, rolling her eyes.

Everyone started getting changed into a plain white t-shirt and either jogging bottoms or a navy blue skirt. Even though they didn't have uniform for around school, they had to wear P.E uniform. Kelly looked around, and then realised. She was the only person with a skirt.

They all got changed quite quickly and ran into the Gym, apart from Kelly and Toni. They had taken a bit longer to get changed, as Toni had come in late, and Kelly was just dawdling. They ran into the Gym at the last minute, as the teacher was taking another register. All the boys turned to look at Kelly and Toni as they came pounding in, their footsteps echoing through the Gym.

A few of the boys wolf-whistled as Kelly went past, as the skirts for P.E were extremely short. Kelly glared at them, and her hazel eyes seemed to redden. This was a bit scary for their liking, and shut up rather quickly. She noticed Max was looking at her as well, though.

"How nice of you two to join us." Said Ms. Murray, as she was Kelly's P.E teacher. Kelly and Toni went and sat down between the Bladebreakers and Kelly's newfound friends. "We were just discussing teams, and these area few of them I have so far. Will you please join up with your team when I call your names out? Team 1: Hilary, Salima, Kelly, Kenny, Max, Ray and Troy."

On hearing their names, they all got up and went and stood to the side. Troy smiled evilly at Kelly, then at Max. "Don't even think about it Davin." Warned Max. Troy just narrowed his eyes.

"Team 2: Kai, Tyson, Toni, Mariam, Emily, Mariah and Blake." Read out Ms. Murray.

They all stood up and looked over at the kid called Blake. He stood up from a huge group of popular kids, girls and boys. He had spiky steel blue hair and blue eyes. He was quite muscular and tall. Considering the P.E rule of no jewellery during lessons, Blake was wearing a thick gold sovereign on his middle finger on his right hand, and a loose gold chain. He walked over, hands in his pockets.

"We'd better win." He said, but not looking at any of them.

Toni mouthed something at him behind his back, and the other girls laughed. Toni grinned sheepishly, and then stuck her fingers up behind his back. Blake, having heard the girls laugh, turned around, and saw Toni's hand fly back to her side. He glanced at her sideways, but then returned his attention to Tessa Hopton. It was unmistakable that he had a huge crush on her.

Ms. Murray read out the rest of the names for the teams, and then said that Teams 1 and 2 were to sit on the one side of the Gym and Teams 3 and 4 were to sit on the opposite side, while Teams 5 and 6 played. She also said that they had to stick with their teams. So, staying in their teams, everyone went and sat down next on the sides.

At the end was Kenny, then Ray, then Salima, then Hilary, then Kelly and then Max. Troy sat next to Max, but not right next to him, he sat about a metre away from him. Kai sat on the other side of Troy with Toni next to him, then Tyson, then Mariah, Mariam and Emily after, and Blake at the end.

Ms. Murray blew the whistle, and Team 5 and 6 started playing. At the side, everyone was just chatting, and Troy kept pretending to stretch, and was hitting Max in the side of the head. Kai was watching out of the corner of his eye, and it was clear on Max's face that it was seriously annoying him more than anything. Troy smirked, and went to do it again, but Kai grabbed his wrist.

"What do you want now, Hiwatari?" spat Troy.

"World Peace, what do you think? (!)" Kai said sarcastically, but he didn't let go of Troy's wrist.

Troy snorted, and tried to pry his wrist out of Kai's grasp.

"I don't think so, Davin. You've caused enough trouble already."

Kelly could see Troy trying to get out of Kai's clutch, and instantly hit Troy in his ribs. She knew it was a bad idea, but she wanted revenge.

"What did you do that for, you little slut?!" snapped Troy, his hands flying to his ribs, and he broke Kai's grip.

"Don't call her a slut!" shouted Max, standing up.

"I'm telling the truth ain't I? Have you seen how short her skirt is? Anyway, do you wanna have another go Tate? Hit twice this time? Or is it so you can get the first strike? EH?!" barked Troy, standing up to face Max.

Ms. Murray hadn't noticed the fight that was about to break out, as she was too busy trying to explain that you couldn't bounce the ball.

Kelly stood up too, and pointed at her eye. "Is this what you wanna look like Max? If yes, then be my guest. If no, then don't be an idiot and fight him, walk away from it." She saw Max hesitate. "If you won't walk away from it for yourself, do it for me!" she pleaded.

She didn't want to see him get hurt. But what could she do? Stepping in to take the hit didn't stop them from fighting, so what would? Kelly racked her brains quickly, for a backup plan in case Max didn't drop out.

Max looked at Kelly's worried face, and then at his teammates, who had also stood up, waiting. He looked back at Kelly's face, and he saw it was full of fear. He didn't like to see her like that. He liked the cheery face he saw yesterday, the cheeky smile, her eyes lighten when she was happy. He thought it was amazing the way her eyes showed her emotions. The colour changed slightly when she felt happy, sad, anxious, angry, but it was noticeable. Max sighed, and sat back down.

"You backing away?!" said Troy, angrily. "What, are you scared you'll end up like her?" Pointing at Kelly.

"Nah, he's probably just scared that he'll crack your beautiful face (!)" Kelly said, smiling.

Troy walked off and sat down at the end of the netball court. At that moment, someone on Team 6 scored, and the ball fell through the net, and bounced off Troy's head. Troy shot up, and started walking towards Max and Kelly, who were laughing their heads off. He reached them and whispered, "See you after school." Then walked off.

They weren't worried. What could Troy do to them, now they had all of their friends behind them? The answer was nothing. Max and Kelly cried through laughter, and were leaning on each other's shoulders, not noticing. They had no time at all to play a match, because by the time Team 5 and 6 had played, and then Team 3 and 4, they had to go and get changed. They all arranged to meet under the Bladebreakers tree, including Mariam, Mariah, Emily, Hilary and Salima, then set off for their next lesson.

Kelly had to stay behind after P.E to talk to Ms. Murray. Ms. Murray said that she was worried about Kelly, asking whether she was being bullied or anything; because even the teachers knew that politeness led to a fight. The teachers knew she had come from Madame Luton's School for Gifted Children, and that she might get bullied.

"Yes miss, I'm fine. Can I go now? Thank you." Said Kelly, not waiting for an answer.

Kelly threw her bag onto her back, and walked to Room 19, which was a Science Lab. She knocked on the door and went through. She walked over to the teacher and explained why she was late, and that she was new.

"Well then. I'm Mr. Butler, your new Science teacher. Now, let's see. Ah yes. There's a note here, are you Kelly LaVelle?" He asked, looking through his enormous glasses. He looked quite old, so Kelly though that she would get away with loads of stuff. He'd be too blind to see anything, and too deaf to hear anything.

"Yeah." Replied Kelly.

"Well then, you can go and sit over there," he said pointing to a long desk with two other people sitting there. "That's Enrique, and that's Johnny. They may not make you feel welcome at first, but believe me; they're all right for lads."

Kelly rolled her eyes, and went and sat in the middle of the two lads. She brought out a biro, and started doodling on the desk. Johnny grinned at Enrique, who smirked in return.

When Mr. Butler started explaining something, Enrique grabbed Kelly's pen and held it above his head.

"Yeah, yeah, what a laugh." Said Kelly, but instead of fighting for her pen, she just got out another one.

Johnny gestured with his hands, that he would get that one. Johnny grabbed Kelly's second pen, and Kelly sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Come on, give it back. Do you think I'm made of pens?"

"I dunno, what do you think?" Johnny said.

"I dunno." Said Kelly, imitating Johnny. Enrique laughed, and Kelly turned and glared at him, and the change of colour in her eyes seemed to have hypnotized Enrique, so Kelly snatched her pen back.

"Thank you." And she continued drawing. She laughed to herself in her head, and started writing something.

The end of the lesson came quicker than she expected. She put her pen back in her bag, and her new Science book that Mr. Butler had given her. Mr. Butler walked past, and noticed graffiti on their table. The bell rang, and Johnny and Enrique went to leave.

"Excuse me you three. This wasn't here this morning, and I taught in a different room this morning. No one has been in here until this lesson. Now, own up. Who wrote this on the desk?" He said, with his hands on his hips. "None of you are leaving until I found out who did this."

"Kelly did it sir." Said Johnny, smirking.

Mr. Butler looked closer at the graffiti. "I guess that's why it has your initials on here Mr. McGregor. Graffiting is one thing, but trying to pin the blame on someone else is another. Kelly is new to this school, and I don't think she would do something like this at all, let alone on her first day. You can stay in during break and clean up the lab."

Johnny went to object, but realised that he wouldn't get out of it. Enrique left first, saying he'd meet him later. Kelly left last. Mr. Butler was writing some notes down at his desk, and as Kelly left the classroom, she winked at Johnny then stuck her tongue out. Johnny gave her a death glare, but when she had left, he laughed silently to himself. He'd have to try that on someone soon.

When Kelly left the room, she burst out laughing. Then, she ran all the way to the tree, and collapsed on the floor laughing.

Everyone else was already there, and they wondered what was so funny.

"Hey Kelly, what's up?" Asked Emily, giving her a funny look.

So Kelly explained to everyone the trick she had pulled on Johnny. They all laughed, and even Kai had trouble keeping a straight face.

Kelly went and sat down next to Max, and thanked him for not getting involved with Troy earlier. Max smiled, and offered her some crisps.

"Thanks, but you're okay." She said, turning down the offer. "Anyway, what have you got next?"

"Geography, with Ms. Dabner. God help me!" joked Max, putting his hands together and staring up at the sky.

"Hey, me too! What's she like? Is she strict?" Asked Kelly, as she had checked her timetable.

"No, she just doesn't know anything. She goes on and on, and you still don't know what she's on about!" Said Max, and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh well. I guess I'll have to live through it, otherwise it would be the last time I see you. Wouldn't be a very cool place to see someone for the last time is it?" And she winked at Max. She hoped that it was a big enough hint for him, she could never tell him out straight.

Meanwhile, Kai seemed extremely quiet, even for him. He had his left hand in his pocket, and seemed to be clutching something. Cassidy noticed this, and quietly asked him what was wrong.

"I know I've only known you for like a day, but I can tell when people are worried or stuff. Call it a gift." And she smiled.

"Follow me." Said Kai, and he walked off, a slight distance away from the tree and the others. Cassidy followed him, hopping along with the help of her crutches.

"Here," said Kai, giving Cassidy a photograph. But he would not look her in the eye. Cassidy gave him a confused look, then looked at the photo carefully.

It was a girl, no older than 20, holding a small child in her arms, smiling down at him. The child was a boy who looked about 2, and he had two-toned hair.

"That's you?" whispered Cassidy in shock. She had never expected Kai to have any photos of himself, let alone as a baby. "Is that . . ." But her voice disappeared, as her finger moved over the woman.

"Yes. That is my mother. Well, that was my mother, before she was murdered." Kai's voice was quiet yet clear, and his eyes seemed to be looking back, as though he was remembering something.

Cassidy gasped faintly, and saw Kai's expression on his face. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Said Cassidy, giving him a heartening look, and tried to give him a smile. But she couldn't get one to appear on her face.

"No, I can't keep it bottled up forever." Sighed Kai. "Though I sometimes wish I could. My mother was murdered . . . by . . ." Kai seemed to be having trouble getting his words out. Cassidy couldn't blame him. Having his mother killed at such an early age, it couldn't be easy for him. "By Boris. You see, he loved my mother, but when she fell in love with my father and had me, Boris just . . . snapped. I was there when he killed her. His last words to her stay in my head, no matter what. He said 'If I can't have you, then no one will.' And he stabbed her in her chest with a dagger. I feel responsible." Said Kai, his head falling. "If it wasn't for me, my mother might still be here today. My father blamed me as well, and he never let me forget it. He would tell me five times a day, and he came close to committing suicide. But, the police caught up with him, and he was put in jail. Then, while he was having a shower, he hung himself. I was given to my Grandfather, where he abused me, but no one knew."

"How could you believe that you're responsible?" Cassidy asked gently, placing her one hand on his shoulder. "You're overreacting here. Can't you see, your father wanted to blame someone for Boris's mistake?"

Kai looked up. He had never thought about it that way. Maybe Cassidy was right, maybe he was just overreacting. But that image of his mother, he couldn't blank it out.

"No, No, NO!" shouted Kai, hands over his ears, as though he didn't want to hear what Cassidy had to say. "You're wrong, you're wrong." And he fell to his knees, his head resting on top of them.

"Kai, I just . . ." started Cassidy.

"No! Just leave me alone, Cass!" and he wouldn't budge. He wouldn't get up, and he wouldn't move in any way, even if he was uncomfortable. 'This is what my mother had to go through,' he thought. 'She had to live through pain, and it was all because of me.'

Cassidy didn't know what to do. She didn't like people to be upset, and certainly not Kai. Although Kai had an expressionless look on his face normally, he never looked unhappy or sad, not like he did now.

"Kai . . . I didn't mean to . . ." But she was interrupted again.

"No. No one ever means to do these things (!) 'It was an accident!'" said Kai, imitating the phrase that he had heard so often in his life. "Let me tell you this. Nothing is ever an accident."

Cassidy pouted. "Well, let **_me_** tell **_you_** this. Nothing is ever done on purpose either. It's **_fate_**!" And she turned around and left Kai to be on his own. She knew that he would come around sooner or later, but she hoped it would be sooner rather than later. When Kai was like this, he was off guard. Being a wanted man in Russia didn't help his situation, especially when he was one of the most wanted men.

The others all watched as Cassidy stormed past.

"Cass, what's up? What just happened?" Asked Kelly, about to follow her.

"Don't bother. It's nothing, really." And she carried on walking.

Kelly went to say something but stopped. Her friendship with Cassidy lasted for nearly 10 years, so it could most likely live through a little tiff. Kelly still felt uneasy though. Max noticed this, and whispered to her, "She'll come around." And smiled at her.

"Thanks, Max." And she smiled back.

While all this had been happening, Ray had been doing some catching up with Mariah, as he hadn't seen her for over a year. They'd tried sending letters, because they didn't have time to chat in school, but it didn't work.

The bell rang, and everyone split up into little groups, as they were put into sets, according to your intelligence, and they walked to Geography. Kai was still sitting on the floor when the bell rang, and Cassidy had already got to her lesson.

Kelly and Max walked up to Room 21, which happened to be Cassidy's and Kai's form room. Max walked to the back, and put his bag on the chair next to him. Kelly went to see the teacher, Ms. Dabner, Cassidy's and Kai's form teacher. She told her to grab a seat before everyone came flooding in and she wouldn't know which way is up.

Kelly sort of nodded slowly at her, and then took a few steps backwards. Then she turned around and went to go and sit next to Max.

"What's that face for?" asked Max, seeing her face.

"What a dumb arse! She said that when people start flooding in, I wouldn't know which way is up. I mean, how can you not tell which way is up? It's like . . ." and she stared at the ceiling. "Up."

Max laughed, and pulled out his pen and his Geography book. Kelly got out her pen too, and started writing on the back of her hand. Max looked over her shoulder, and saw a heart, with her initials in it, and was about to write someone else's. Max's face dropped. Kelly already had a boyfriend.

Kelly noticed Max looking over her shoulder when she was writing on her hand. She didn't let him know that she knew though. She drew a heart with an arrow through it, with K.L luvs M.T.

"Your boyfriend is very lucky," said Max. He decided to get it out in the open.

Kelly stopped and looked at him. "What?" she asked.

"You heard me. He's very lucky."

"Max, I haven't got a boyfriend." Kelly said, holding back a laugh.

Max's face brightened. "You haven't? Well, who's M.T?"

"Trust you!" Kelly laughed. "Max, think hard. Who's name begins with M? And who also has a last name beginning with T?"

Max thought, and didn't think for a minute that Kelly could like him. At first he thought Michael, but then realised his last name was Parker.

"Max, I like . . . you." The last part was a whisper. Almost as soon as Kelly had said that, she regretted it. 'Why don't I ever keep my big gob shut?' she thought.

Max's face brightened even more, and a huge smile appeared on his face. His bright blue eyes looked happy, and he sighed.

"I was just about to tell you exactly the same thing." Said Max, his smile still on his face.

"Really?" Asked Kelly, as she couldn't tell whether he was just saying that so as not to hurt her feelings.

"Really. That's why I asked you to have lunch with me today. You're really pretty, and I can't stop looking at you."

"Oh Max!" And Kelly gave him a huge hug. "You've really made my day!"

Then, Ms. Dabner interrupted.

"Ahem. This is a Geography lesson, and I intend to teach Geography, not sociability."

Kelly beamed, and unwrapped her arms from around his waist. Johnny wandered into the class, and sat down across the aisle from Kelly and Max. Kelly smiled, and walked over to him.

"What do you want, black eye?" Johnny said, looking up at her.

"My pen back." Said Kelly, her hands on her hips.

"Tough luck. You're not getting it." Johnny pulled out Kelly's pen, and started writing with it.

"Last chance," said Kelly.

"Or what?" snorted Johnny.

"Fine, we'll play it your way. Meet me after Geography, by the Bladebreakers tree. Make sure you bring my pen, and your blade. If you don't I'll just tell everyone that you're too scared to face a girl, and got caught out by a girl. Remember, Science?" And Kelly went back over and sat down with Max.

"What are you up to?" grinned Max, knowing she was up to something.

Kelly just tapped the side of her nose, her nose stud glinting in the light.

"Just call it a touch of blackmail."

"Miss. LaVelle! Please stop interrupting my lesson, or you will never learn about the Rock Cycle. Now class, as I was saying, there are three types of rock: Metamorphic; Igneous; and Sedimentary." Ms. Dabner explained to the class, writing each one on the blackboard.

"So what?" Kelly whispered to Max. "Wowee (!) It's a rock, who cares what type it is?"

Max laughed. Ever since they had come clean, they seemed to get on better. Kelly never noticed before, but Max looked so innocent and sweet when he laughed. 'Well,' she thought. 'He always looks cute and innocent, but even more so.'

Geography dragged on, and about three quarters of the way through, Johnny threw Kelly a note, saying that he'll bring his blade, as long as she tells him what for. Kelly turned over the note and wrote: 'You are so dense Johnny. So I can beat you and get my pen back.' And she flung it back. He opened it, and threw back his head in silent laughter. He gestured with his hands that she had a nil chance of winning. Kelly narrowed her eyes at him, and they turned red, just like they had in P.E.

Geography finally came to an end, and Ms. Dabner had given them a project to do with a partner on the Rock Cycle; they had to produce a poster for next week. Max and Kelly put their stuff away, and they ran to the lockers. Kelly pulled out a small, black and blue drawstring bag.

"What's that?" requested Max, giving her a sideways glance.

"You'll see soon enough."


	5. Chapter 5

They walked over to the tree, and they were the first ones there. Kai soon came over, but instead of sitting down like usual; he climbed right to the top of the tree. Toni, Tyson, Hilary and Salima came over next, and then the others arrived in little groups. Max had sat down, but Kelly had stayed standing up. She was waiting for Johnny.

"Hey Kelly, sit down." Offered Emily, making space next to her.

"In a minute," she said, her eyes scanning the field. Most of the area was field, there was a small path along the left hand side, but as it was dry, everyone was sitting on the grass.

There he was. He was walking up to them, his launcher in his hand. Kelly smiled, and took a few steps forward.

"What're you doing here McGregor?" Asked Kai, looking down from a high up branch.

"I've been invited here. I'll make this quick, I haven't got much time to spare." Said Johnny, readying his blade. "So, who have you got fighting for you?" And he looked at the Bladebreakers, and then at the girls.

"Me." Said Kelly.

"You what? You can't battle, you haven't got a blade! What a waste of time this has turned out to be." Said Johnny.

"Well, what's this then?" grinned Kelly, swinging her drawstring bag. She opened it, and pulled out a launcher, and a mottled blue and green Beyblade. "Let's cut the trash talk. If I win, you give me back my pen. Hang on, make that **_when_** I win."

"So, you want to battle, just to get a pen?" Asked Mariam. "That's a bit of a waste."

"Not for my pen it's not. That pen was given to me as a special present. That pen was the first pen I ever used. Of course I have to refill the ink, but I've had it for over 12 years."

"What do I get if I win? How about I get any part of your blade that I want?" Proposed Johnny.

"You're on!" Kelly replied.

"You ready? 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . LET IT RIP!" And the battle had begun.

Johnny's fire coloured blade and Kelly's water coloured blade spun around each other, each making random attacks. Neither was about to hand in the towel though.

"Salamolyon!"

"Draleen!"

Out of Johnny's bit-chip arose a red and orange salamander, and a very mean looking one at that. Out of Kelly's bit-chip arose a blue killer whale, with a black tail cover and black patches around its eyes.

"Not a bad deal!" shouted Johnny above the roaring of bit beasts. "I win one battle, and get a bit beast. LET'S FINISH THIS SALAMOLYON! FIRE ROD!"

Salamolyon launched forward, burning a bright red.

"Draleen, dodge!" And on Kelly's command, it manoeuvred around Salamolyon's attack. "My turn. Draleen! Triple Nose Dart!"

Draleen reared up for a bit of speed, then darted forward at Salamolyon. It struck him 3 times, then waited for it's next order.

"Salamolyon, come on! FIRE ROD!" shouted Johnny again.

Salamolyon started burning bright red again, and Kelly laughed.

"So predictable Johnny. Blow-hole Barrier, NOW!"

As Salamolyon flew at Draleen, Draleen shot out a mass of water from her blow-hole. It created a whirlpool structure around her, and Salamolyon ran straight into it. He got caught up in the whirlpool, and the force that he was going to use on Draleen doubled, then sent him flying backwards.

"What the?" said Johnny, gobsmacked.

"Draleen, end of Blow-hole Barrier." And Draleen opened her mouth, which was filled with hundreds of sharp, diamond teeth, and let out a piercing wail. The water shot apart, just leaving drips of water on Draleen.

Seeing Salamolyon weakening, Kelly took her chance.

"Final attack!" And Draleen shot forward, making Johnny's blade to fly off and stop spinning.

"And the winner is . . . Kelly!" announced Tyson.

"OK, gimme." Said Kelly, holding out her hand.

"Fine." Johnny took out the pen and slammed it into her hand.

"Oh boy, what fun I'm going to have telling everyone that I beat one of the European Champions (!)," joked Kelly, but seeing Johnny glower at her, she said, "Just kidding!"

"Humph!" And Johnny stomped off.

"Well, what do you think?" Asked Kelly, looking hopeful.

Everybody was silent for a minute, until Max said, "Whoa!"

"Yeah, Draleen is really powerful!" Exclaimed Ray.

"Do you really think so?" said Kelly gleefully.

"Shut up now Kel." Said Toni, who had already started eating her sandwiches. "They said they like it, so shut up before they change their minds." She grinned.

"Oh well." Kelly shrugged.

Kelly sat down next to Emily, as she wanted to get to know her new friends better. They all crowded around, chatting about favourite bands, favourite colours and so on. Then it came to the question, which Bladebreaker would you date. In the circle was Cassidy, Kelly, Toni, Mariah, Mariam, Emily, Salima, and Hilary. They huddled up closer, so as the boys wouldn't hear them.

"Oh great," said Ray. "You know they're talking about us when they go like this."

"Brilliant," groaned Kenny, and he opened his laptop. "Dizzi, see if you can record their conversation."

"Ooh, going into spying, are we?" replied Dizzi.

"No, they're talking about us, and we wanna know what they say." Said Tyson.

"Nope, sorry boys, not gonna help you there." Said the laptop.

"Dammit!" cursed Ray.

In the girls little congregation, they were confessing all. But only after they'd agreed to keep these secrets to themselves, and not kill one another if they had the same crush.

"I'd probably say . . . erm, probably . . . erm," started Mariah.

"Oh come on, Mariah, we all know you've got the hots for Ray!" encouraged Toni. "I'm easy, TYSON!" she shouted, and the boys looked at her. She shooed them away with her hands. Even though Toni had heard about The Five before, she'd only just met them that day, but she thought she already had them figured out. Mariah blushed, and giggled.

"We all know Toni's going out with Tyson, and I'd have to say . . . Kenny." Admitted Emily.

"I'd most likely choose Ray." Stated Salima.

"Aww no! I'd choose Max!" Jumped in Kelly, and they all sort of stared at her in her sudden outburst. "I thought I'd let you know." She shrugged.

"Yeah, Max is really cute, but then again, the same can be said for Tyson." Agreed Hilary. "What about you Mariam?"

"Probably Kai. I reckon he'd be really nice once you've broken through to him." Supposed Mariam.

"Yeah, me too. I'd say Kai." Decided Cassidy.

That conversation then ended, as the Bladebreakers couldn't take it anymore. They jumped out behind them, and plonked themselves down at the side.

"What you talking about?" Asked Tyson.

"Oh, nothing," they all said innocently, fingers crossed behind their backs. Truthfully, they were stifling laughs. Kai had calmed down from earlier Cassidy noticed, and seemed back to his normal self.

They sat eating, having small talk. The main subjects were: school, how rubbish it was; homework, how there was too much; blading, how they needed to practise; and so on. Cassidy seemed particularly amazed by Beyblades, as before she met Kai, she had never really bothered with them. Toni kept whining, saying hers was being repaired, and everyone shouted at her to shut up.

"Hey, you know what? I know something you don't know." Taunted Cassidy. "I never told you this before, but Matt, my foster-dad, organizes major events. He's also really good friends with Mr. Dickinson. They've organized a new tournament."

"No way," denied Kenny. "Mr. Dickinson would tell us as soon as he could."

"There is. I'll prove it. Go to MEA stands for Major Events Association. Anyway, click onto this year, then tournaments." Directed Cassidy.

Kenny followed Cassidy's instructions, and sure enough, there was a tournament to be held in a few weeks.

"Well why weren't we told?" Asked Ray.

"Because, Mr. Dickinson obviously thought, and was right, that you lot would go blabbing it about. Then the Press would get involved, and he evidently doesn't want it to be spread about yet," Explained Kai, his eyes closed which was not unusual for him.

"That makes sense." Said Hilary.

"Do you know if anyone can enter?" Salima asked.

"Yeah, I think anyone can enter, but you have to register with Mr. Dickinson." Cassidy said. She was going to ask them for their phone numbers, but didn't know if they would give them to her or not. 'What have I got to lose?' she thought.

"Hey, can I have your phone numbers? And email addresses too, please?" Asked Cassidy, all in one quick sentence.

"Yeah sure." They all nodded, apart from Kai. They started getting out pieces of paper and pens, and then writing their name, email address and phone number.

"Thanks," she said, beaming. "What about you Kai? Can I have yours too please?"

"I haven't got one at the moment. Phone lines aren't secure. Email addresses are easy to get into by hackers." He said bluntly.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I kinda forgot." apologized Cassidy. Everyone handed Cassidy their phone number and email address, and then decided they should all have each other's. Then it was mayhem. They forgot who had whose number, which paper was which, as some people had forgot to put their name on. It was just a clamour of shouting.

"Have I got yours?"

"Have you got mine?"

"Hey, we've all got Hotmail! How cool? Maybe we should chat on MSN Messenger."

"Whose number is this?"

"Who is dropped one! Emily, I think I need yours again!"

"Oops, my pen's run out!"

Kai was getting a headache. "Stop!" he shouted. Everyone stopped dead. He took all the pieces off of paper of them, and ripped them up. "Now, let's do it my way."

"Sure, let's do it all your way (!)" Tyson said sarcastically.

Kai gave Tyson a death glare. "Everyone write your name, email and phone number on a piece of paper, then pass them all to me." Everyone did as he said, as they didn't seem to be getting anywhere with the last plan.

Kai received 12 pieces of paper. He got out a large book from his bag, and ripped pages out. He then copied them all onto one piece of large paper.

"Right, if you want these, meet me here after school. I'll get these photocopied in registration, as Ms. Dabner has a photocopier in her room." He said, folding up the piece of paper. He just let all of the small pieces blow away with the wind.

"Naughty naughty!" taunted Toni, wagging her finger at Kai. "Litter bug!"

Kai groaned. Toni was like Tyson's clone. Childish, greedy, slow, determined. They were so alike it was actually quite scary. But that was what made them so . . . mutual. They enjoyed one another's company, but understood when the other wanted time alone. Another thing, they couldn't take hints very well.

People started wandering over, trying to make conversation.

"Hey, I thought I recognised you!" chimed a girl with red hair which was tied into two bunches. She was wearing a white gypsy top with frilly sleeves, a lilac mini skirt with a small daisy in the bottom corner, cream knee-high boots, and a silver lucky charm bracelet with three charms – a four-leafed clover, a horseshoe and a key.

The Bladebreakers, Cassidy, Toni, Kelly, Mariah, Emily, Mariam, Salima and Hilary all looked at her at the same time, and everyone standing next to the red head took a few steps back, as having over ten people do exactly the same thing at once was a bit unusual, but the red head seemed unfazed.

"I'm Amber Trinselle, and I'm a huge fan of your team!" she smiled. "I watched all your matches, and I'm especially a big fan of yours Ray!"

"Um, thanks, I guess." Said Ray.

"I noticed some of you around before, but I just thought it was look-alikes, or wannabes. I guess I was wrong then!" Amber seemed to have a smile permanently stuck on her face, and she kept laughing. Her charm bracelet kept jangling on her wrist.

"Yeah, OK." Said Kai. "You're a big fan, so what? I bet everyone else is in this crappy school too."

Amber looked hurt. "But, I really am! I'm like your biggest fan! I even made figurines of you all out of clay, it took me forever!" she said.

"Along with the other 600 kids in the school. Listen kid, why do you think that we'd talk to you out of anyone in the whole school? Just piss off." Said Kai.

Amber had tears dwelling in her eyes, and her mouth was trembling. "Fine then! See if I care! I could probably beat all of you in one anyway, you're a lousy team!" And she stormed off.

"Hey Kai, don't you think you were a little rough on her? I think it's nice that we have such a big fan." Said Ray, watching as Amber walked into the girl's toilets.

"No." said Kai plainly.

"Yeah Kai, you should give people a break. Cut them some slack. Just because you're in trouble doesn't mean you should take it out on someone completely different." Advised Kenny.

"If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask for it." snarled Kai, his patience was wearing thin.

"See? That's what Chief means. If you'd just calm down . . ." started Tyson, but he was interrupted by Kai's tolerance breaking.

"Calm down? Why should I calm down, when I'm a wanted man in Russia?" he snapped.

"Because that's the point." Said Cassidy. She stared up into Kai's grey eyes. "You're a wanted man in Russia, not here. Who's gonna find you when you're on the opposite side of the world?"

Kai went to retaliate, when he realised. Cassidy was right. He had become too uptight lately, and was biting everyone's head off.

The other Bladebreakers looked shocked at how quickly that had calmed him down. They had known him for a couple of years now, but never had they seen anyone settle him down that fast.

"Hey, I'm gonna go see if that Amber kid is alright." Said Kelly, standing up.

"I'll come too." Decided Toni, standing up with her sister.

"We'll be back in a bit." They said, walking off towards the girl's toilets.

When they got inside, it was deserted; there was only one door shut. Everyone had left the toilets, as there was a foul stench lingering.

"Amber? Are you okay?" Asked Kelly gently. She could hear little sniffling sounds, and Kelly knocked lightly on the door. "Come out, let us talk to you."

The door unlocked and opened. Amber stepped out, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

"Who are you?" Asked Amber, sniffing.

"I'm Toni, and that's my sister Kelly." Said Toni, not sounding at all sympathetic.

"Go outside Tone. I wanna have a quick word with Amber. Now, go away!"

Toni just shrugged and walked back over to the tree, explaining to the others that Kelly had more or less shoved her out.

"So, Amber. Why did you let Kai get to you like that?" Kelly asked, leaning against the wall.

"How did you know about that?"

"I was sitting there, with the other girls."

"Oh OK. Well, I'm not used to being told to piss off. Normally, everyone is really nice to me. Not meaning to brag or anything, but why shouldn't everyone be nice to me?" Amber said.

Kelly gave her a small smile. "A little bragging is acceptable, I guess." She said, measuring out a tiny distance with her finger and thumb. "Anyway, I'm not saying that you're not a Bladebreaker fan, I'm just saying that, if you really know the Bladebreakers as well as you say you do, then you should've known what Kai would be like."

"I just thought that he was cold and mean for the cameras, I didn't realise he was like that 24/7. I bet they all think I'm a little cry-baby now, don't they?"

"No, they don't." Kelly said, standing up straight. "My friend Cass, she sorted Kai out, and now I think he's sorry for what he said."

"No, you're just saying that." Said Amber, not as depressed anymore.

"No, I mean it. And I think you've got an admirer." Grinned Kelly.

"Really?" said Amber, biting her lip. "Who?"

"Ray. When you left, he stuck up for you, saying some stuff to Kai. I don't pay that much attention to him, so I didn't really hear. I know. Why don't you come back with me? I'm a Bladebreaker VIP, so you're an honorary VIP. You never know, you might become one of the Bladebreakers very own VIPs. My friends are VIPs too, so I don't see why you won't become one."

"Does that mean, you're my friend?" enquired Amber.

"Of course!" replied Kelly, smiling. "Come on." She said, and she pulled her out by her sleeve. Amber felt happy inside, as she had made a new friend. It wasn't as though she had no friends, but Amber had never been popular.

That had always been Amber's dream. She wanted to be popular and well known. When she grew older, she wanted to become an actress, her Idol being Cameron Diaz, as she could act really well. She could do romance, action, comedy, horror, any genre of film. Amber wanted to be able to do that. The teachers all knew how much Amber wanted to be in show business, so they gave her extra Drama and English lessons.

Amber knew that if she made friends with the Bladebreakers, she might become a bit popular. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Amber took a deep breath as they neared the tree, and she saw them all staring at her.

"Hi," said Amber, trying to be cheery again.

"Hi," said Ray, smiling at her. "Are you okay now? You seemed a bit upset."

But before Amber could answer, Kai stood up next to her. He towered above her, so Amber looked up and gulped.

"Err . . . hi, Kai." She said, feeling intimidated.

"Sorry." He said, and walked off.

Cassidy sighed. She thought something like that might happen. "I'm going after him, I won't be long. If I don't see you in a bit, I'll see you after school, OK?" And then wandered off after Kai.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Kenny. "I think that's as much as an apology you're going to get off Kai."

"At least it was an apology." She said. Amber was still quite nervous, and was biting her lip again.

"Hey, sit down," said Kelly, taking her own seat, but next to Max this time.

"OK." And she sat down on the floor. There was a bit of an awkward silence again, but Salima couldn't stand it.

"So, Amber. You like Beyblading?" she asked.

Amber thought that this was some sort of test to become a VIP, so she tried her hardest to answer what they thought. But, luckily for her, it was exactly what she thought anyway.

"Yeah, I love it! It's the best sport ever invented!" she said.

"Right on!" agreed Tyson, nodding encouragingly.

"Do you have your own Beyblade?" Asked Mariah.

"Yeah, but not with me. I leave it at home usually, cos I don't want it to get wrecked."

"Quite wise." Concurred Kenny, opening his laptop. "Do you have a bit beast?" he asked, and he started typing.

"Yeah. Her name is Julekoy. She's a blue jay. Do you want me to show you on Monday?" said Amber, getting a little bit excited.

"Yeah okay." Nodded Ray. "Bit beasts are so cool."

"I know!" she shrieked. This made everyone a bit taken aback. "Sorry," said Amber. "It's just that I'm used to exaggerating everything, cos I'm an actress in the making! Oh, and all that stuff I told you earlier, it is true. I'll bring in the figurines if you like. Anyway, with a bit of luck, I should be an actress in no time!" and she jangled the bracelet on her wrist.

"Well, even if you don't wanna be a blader, good luck to you." Said Hilary.

"Thanks. Erm, I don't know your names." Said Amber, feeling stupid.

"Sorry!" Apologized Mariam. "I guess we got a bit carried away. I'm Mariam, that's Salima, Hilary, Emily and Mariah. The girl who walked off after Kai, the one with the crutches, that was Cassidy. You already know Toni and Kelly."

"Nice to meet you all." Said Amber.

An awkward silence came again, but then Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny started whispering. Amber thought they were whispering about her, whether she was a VIP or not. The tension was killing her, and she burst out.

"Well, am I in or not? Just tell me." She said.

"What?" asked Max, "What're you talking about?"

"The admittance test." But seeing their blank faces, tried it another way. "To become a Bladebreaker VIP?"

"There is no admittance test!" exclaimed Ray. "And anyway, cos of what Kai said, that sorta makes you a VIP. You came over to talk to us, and tried to make proper conversation. Normally, we just get people asking whether we're single, asking for autographs, you know the routine."

"Oh." Said Amber, feeling disappointed. She thought that Ray had said that she couldn't be a VIP because she was like everyone else. "Wait a minute. Did you just say I'm a VIP?"

"Yes," grinned Ray.

"YES!" cried Amber, jumping to her feet and punching the air. She started to do a little victory sort of dance. "Oh yeah, I'm in, oh yeah, I'm in. YAY!"

While Amber was dancing around, everyone sweat dropped. They knew how big a fan she was, but they never realised she was that big. They knew they'd made the right decision about making her a VIP, because they knew she would remain loyal to the Bladebreakers and the rest of the group.

"Amber, you can sit down now." Giggled Mariah. Amber laughed childishly.

"Hey, who wants to battle me on Monday? I bet I could beat whoever I take on." Said Amber. "Julekoy has never lost a battle. But then again, I haven't been in a huge amount." She added.

"I'll take you on. Are you as lucky in Beyblading as you believe in?" smirked Ray.

"Can you back up your trash talk in the dish?" replied Amber.

"Ah, touché." Admitted Ray.

Everyone chatted again for a while, and Amber sat down again, this time next to Ray. Amber thought Ray was so kind, and she had a gigantic crush on him. But thankfully, because of her acting lessons, no one seemed to notice.

The bell rang soon after they had all got talking, so they arranged to meet after school. Then they split up and made their way to their form room for registration. Amber's form room was Room 18, so it wasn't really that close to anyone else's. Registration was quick, and they all made their way to Maths in Room 11 with Ms. Daye.


	6. Chapter 6

"Good morning class. Settle down please." She said as they walked in. "Ah, you must be the new student, Kelly LaVelle. Yes, can you sit next to Troy please? Thank you."

Kelly wasn't too bothered now about having to be around Troy, because she knew that she had all of her friends behind her, backing her up. She wandered over, and sat down. Kelly was a tiny bit cautious, but Troy ignored her.

The Bladebreakers were all separated, as they apparently spoke too much during lessons, but Emily, Salima, Hilary, Mariam, Mariah, and now Amber were all at one table for 6. Before, Amber would've sat on the same table as Blake, as he was in her form. They knew each other, and got on quite well, but Blake would never admit they were friends.

Amber looked over at Blake, who was now sitting with no one that he knew. He now had a pair of dark shades resting on top of his head, and threw a glance at Amber. It was the type of glance that said 'You dissed me for them? You're dumber than I thought.' Amber didn't care. If he was so bothered about sitting next to Amber, why would he never admit in public that he knew her? She just looked away from him and started chatting to the others.

The lesson started, and Ms. Daye was droning on about adding fractions. It didn't mean anything to anyone in the class, but looked like they were paying attention and understood, so she wouldn't repeat herself.

"I heard you beat McGregor." Said Troy out of the blue.

"Well I guess you heard right then, for a change." Kelly replied, but not looking at him.

Troy growled slightly. "McGregor was an easy target. How about battling me?"

"I dunno. I wouldn't want to make you cry." Kelly said, doodling with her favourite pen again. "Did you hear what happened to Johnny? I got him stuck in break time detention, and I can do the same to you."

"Does that mean you're too chicken?" he smirked.

Kelly looked up at him and stared him straight in the eyes. "You're on. After school today. You don't turn up and you're dead."

Troy smirked again, then scribbled a note down. He folded it up, wrote 'Blake' on the top then passed it to the person next to him. The note was handed along the row, and it reached Blake. Blake's eyes scanned it over, then nodded at Troy.

Kelly narrowed her eyes; she wondered what they had planned. Whatever it was though, it couldn't be good.

The Maths lesson dragged on, Ms. Daye trying to explain that you have to find a number that both denominators go into to add them together. They were given a ton of homework on it, and they had to get at least 50 right, otherwise they would be stuck in detention.

The bell finally rang, and everyone cheered. Ms. Daye looked angry at this, but knew that she couldn't change the way they thought about Maths. She sighed and let them go, and the class ran out of the room to History. None of them liked History, but they enjoyed it more than Maths. But then again, they liked everything better than Maths.

Like for Geography, they were split up, but only into two groups. The rooms that they were in were only next door to each other though, so they weren't split up too bad. It was a laugh too, because they could see each other through the window that joined the two classes together. Kai, Tyson, Kenny, Mariam, Emily, Amber and Kelly were in Room 17, whereas Max, Toni, Mariah, Hilary, Salima, Cassidy and Ray were in Room 18.

The desks in Room 18 were in twos, so Ray sat next to Max, and in front of them were Toni and Cassidy, and then, squeezed onto the other two desks in front of them, were Mariah, Hilary and Salima. Toni and Cassidy laughed when they saw how squashed they were. They had hardly any room to move, let alone to get in or out. Ray and Max looked around the edge of Toni and Cassidy to see what they were laughing at, then they burst out laughing too.

However, in Room 17, the desks were in tables of eight. Kai sat on his own at one end, with Amber opposite him. Kelly sat next to Amber, with Mariam next to her. Emily sat next to Mariam, and then Kenny sat opposite Emily, and Tyson was next to Kenny.

Back in Room 18, Ms. Holmes, the History teacher, had come in and was taking the register. Amber looked through the window from Room 17 and saw her form tutor talking to Mariah, Hilary and Salima. Amber giggled then nudged Kelly, and pointed through the window. Kelly had to stick her tongue out and bite it to stop herself from laughing.

"Miss. LaVelle! Please keep your tongue to yourself." Said Ms. Kendall.

Kelly withdrew her tongue, and apologized to her new History teacher. Amber whispered that she wasn't that bad for an old bat, and hardly ever gave them homework. Kelly looked quite impressed by that, and grinned.

"Now, before I take the register, I'd like to say welcome to our new student, Miss. Kelly LaVelle. I hope you enjoy coming to Smithton High." And Ms. Kendall took their register.

Back in Room 18, Ms. Holmes had given up trying to move Mariah, Salima and Hilary, because none of them were budging. Toni and Cassidy were whispering to each other about normal stuff. Do you have the Internet at home, have you got MSN Messenger, and so on, when Cassidy noticed a mark on the table. She looked at it closely, and then showed Toni.

"Hey, have you seen this? A.T. 4 R.K. Let's try and figure out who it could be."

"OK!" Toni agreed. She looked at it closely. "Well, it must be a girl who wrote it, because the writing is too fancy to be a boy's. So, who is a girl and has the initials A.T?"

"Or, we could think of who's a boy and has the initials R.K?"

"Even easier. I know who that is straight away. Ray! His name is Ray Kon." Toni smiled. She was chuffed because she got the answer so quickly.

"Now, just a girl with A.T." Cassidy thought aloud. She turned around and asked Max and Ray. They had no idea. So, Cassidy leant forward across the table and asked Mariah, Hilary and Salima.

"Sorry, I haven't a clue." Said Salima.

"Nor me," Admitted Mariah. "Do you know whose form room it is? Maybe it's someone who is in here a lot." She suggested.

"Hey, didn't Amber say that this was her form room?" Recalled Hilary. "I'm pretty sure she did."

Then Cassidy clicked. "Oh my god!" she said, but it was in a whisper. "Amber has a crush on Ray! A.T, Amber Trinselle, for R.K, Ray Kon!"

The girls shrieked, they loved a bit of gossip. When they heard some juicy information, they'd keep it between themselves, as they had an oath never to spread precious information, or spread rumours. They decided this was one of those things, and they must never, ever tell the Bladebreakers. But they agreed they should tell Amber that they knew, as it was unfair to keep it from her.

Meanwhile, in Room 17, Tyson was having a little strop because Kenny was trying to get him to learn the different ways each of Henry VIII's wives died.

"Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived! It's not that difficult Tyson!" Kenny said, his temper shorting out.

"No one cares how a group of old fogies died, or were killed or whatever. No one cares that he was the eighth king, no one cares that he was rich, NO ONE CARES!" he shouted, and he turned his back on Kenny.

"UGH! Tyson, you will be the death of **_me_** let alone all of Henry's wives." And they wouldn't talk to each other, no matter how hard Kelly, Amber, Mariam, Emily, and even Kai tried.

"Well, I guess boys will be boys." Shrugged Mariam, giving up.

"I resent that!" Kai said in an outburst. They all looked at him, because it was so unlikely for him to say anything. "I find that a very sexist comment." He said, and went back to his own work.

"Like Tyson said, 'no one cares!'" imitated Emily, but so only the other three girls could hear. They all burst out laughing, but when Kai glowered at them, they went silent. Kai then went back to start working again, when Kelly joked,

"Silence is deadly, the Judge is dead. Somebody farted and blew off his head!" And they all went into fits of laughter again. They couldn't stop, even when Ms. Kendall came over and asked them to settle down.

"Girls! This is really unacceptable!"

Hilary, Mariah, and Salima saw them all laughing hysterically through the window. They wondered what on earth could be so funny. They shot out of the room when the bell rang, and waited outside the door.

Ray, Max, Toni and Cassidy came out behind the three girls, and stood next to them. Kai, Tyson and Kenny came out, but none of the girls.

"Hey, where are Amber and the others?" Asked Ray.

"Getting a detention slip. They were laughing about some lame joke." Shrugged Kenny.

"Yeah, well it's not as lame as you are!" snapped Tyson, before turning his back on them all.

They all looked expectantly at Kai.

"Don't ask." He said, crossing his arms.

Kelly, Amber, Emily and Mariam finally emerged from Room 17; all of them had serious looks on their face. Mariam sighed, and ripped up the slip of paper. Emily and Amber did likewise, and then looked at Kelly, waiting for her to do the same. Kelly looked at them all, before groaning and tearing it up.

"Still not talking? God, you really are stubborn, aren't you Tyson?" asked Emily. She quickly explained to the others about what had happened, and when Mariah asked about the laughing, she said she'd tell her later on MSN.

Kai handed out the papers to everyone, and Amber quickly copied them down into her notebook. Then she scribbled hers onto everyone else's paper.

"Hey, cool email address," grinned Ray, before putting the paper into his pocket.

"Thanks. Yours is cool too." She replied, biting her lip yet again.

"You guys," said Kelly, looking around. "Can we wait at the tree for just one minute? Please?"

"Yeah, sure." They agreed. "Do you know how long we'll be here though? Any idea at all?" And they started walking towards the Bladebreakers Tree.

"Not long. Hopefully." The last word was more or less a whisper. She hadn't told anyone about her upcoming battle with Troy, and didn't intend to. She wanted them to realise that girls were as good bladers as boys were.

Kelly had heard so many rumours about girls never blading properly, as they were too scared to break a nail. It was so untrue. She had seen the way Mariah, Emily, Salima, Mariam and Toni battled. It wasn't ruthless, but they never went easy on their opponents. At her old school, hardly anyone had a blade, as they were 'barbaric destruction weapons'.

"Oh great. What's _**he** _want?" said Tyson, as they reached the tree.

Kelly spun around to where Tyson was looking. Troy was walking up, Blake next to him. They were both smirking, and looking pretty pleased with themselves. As they reached them, the Bladebreakers broke into an outburst.

"What're you doing here?"

"Clear off!"

"I'm here on business." Said Troy, Blake standing almost behind him but was visible.

"What business?" Asked Ray, narrowing his eyes.

Max was looking from Troy to Blake, and then back to Troy, whereas Amber was staring straight at Blake. She decided she wasn't going to be intimidated by him; she was going to stand her ground.

"What business. You should know, you lot are pros." Snorted Troy. "Or at least you think you are."

"Beyblading? Why do you wanna battle us?" Said Kenny, clicking on to what he was talking about.

"Not you lot. Her." Said Blake, pointing at Kelly.

Kelly grinned. "Ready to lose?"

The Bladebreakers and the other girls just waited and watched in anticipation. Troy just readied his black and silver blade, and began the countdown. "3 . . .2 . . . 1 . . . LET IT RIP!"

The two blades flew onto the ground, ramming each other for all they were worth. Neither of them seemed eager to end it quickly; they seemed to be biding their time.

"Don't see why girls should Beyblade, it's a waste of space!" shouted Troy. "Maickal, Fire Sword!" And with that, a huge, flaming red jackal leapt out of Troy's bit-chip. It was almost covered in black armour, and it had rings of pure fire around each paw. Its tail was burning brightly, as it was made of sheer flames. She howled almightily, and shot flames at the blue and green blade.

"Nuh uh! Waste of space my arse. If anything's a waste of space, it's you! Draleen!" summoned Kelly.

Draleen appeared, and spun around at such high speed that the Fire Sword was broken apart into tiny spots of ash.

Kelly's eyes glinted. "My turn. Draleen, water-powered Nose Dart!"

Draleen became surrounded in water, and launched forward at Maickal. The hit was stopped by another blade flying into the battle zone.

"Hey!" cried Kelly, as she saw Blake's black and red blade attacking. While Draleen was fighting off Blake's blade, Maickal had time to recover. She also tackled Draleen when she had restored her health. It was a two-on-one battle.

"Let's even this out! Go Draciel!" called Max, releasing his green blade. It shot into the battlefield, sending Blake's black and red blade flying backwards.

"Thanks, Maxie." Smiled Kelly, before carrying on with the battle.

"Two on two. Never thought blading could be this interesting. Go, Onicerous!" shouted Blake, and a grey and black rhino appeared above the orange bit-chip.

Onicerous had white metal around its neck and hooves, making it look very menacing and threatening. It roared and stampeded towards Max's blade.

"Draciel!" beckoned Max, and on command, a huge turtle covered in armour arose from its bit-chip.

"Fire against water!" exclaimed Cassidy, clapping her hands together. "This should be over quickly now!"

"Don't be so sure, cripple. Onicerous, Dark Stampede!" cried Blake. Maickal retreated to its bit-chip, as Dark Stampede was a destructive attack.

Onicerous had concealed the whole field in darkness, and everyone could hear a roar and heavy steps. It wasn't any footsteps though; it was Onicerous, charging around at full speed. Kelly could hear this, and realised that she had to act fast.

"Draleen, double Blow-hole Barrier! Surround yourself and Draciel!" Commanded Kelly. Draleen took her mistresses advice, and both Draleen and Draciel became enclosed in a whirlpool of water. It didn't harm them, as Draleen controlled the water flow.

Onicerous's stampeding steps were even louder, and everyone heard a deafening growl. Onicerous had crashed into the obstruction of water, and had been sent back with double its own force. Because of the reduction of Onicerous's speed, Dark Stampede ended. Maickal reappeared from Troy's blade and was heading straight for the two blades, as Draleen's Blow-hole Barrier had also finished after it had propelled Onicerous backwards.

"Draciel, Heavy Viper Wall!" cried Max, and Draciel got a powered shot towards Maickal with an unbreakable, invisible wall shielding himself. It hit Maickal straight on.

While Draciel was attacking Maickal, Draleen was striking Onicerous.

"This is going to be a close one!" said Amber, keeping her eyes on Blake's blade. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off it; it was as though she was mesmerised by it.

"No kidding!" agreed Salima.

"Final attack!" exclaimed Max and Kelly together, and Draleen and Draciel both went head on against the opposing blades. The two black blades flew into their owner's hands.

"And the winners are . . . Max and Kelly!" announced Hilary, holding up one hand of each of them.

They smiled at each other, and then shared a hug. Max gave Kelly a quick kiss on the cheek, but so no one else could see. Kelly blushed slightly, and hugged him harder.

"Thanks Max. I would've been a goner if you hadn't stepped in when you did."

"No problem," he said. "Anything to help a friend."

"This isn't over yet." Said Troy.

"I'd say it is. You see your blade flew out of the battle, therefore, you lost." Said Kai.

"Don't be a smart arse Hiwatari. You think you're all high and mighty, don't you? But you're not." Spat Blake. His gaze then turned to Amber. "And Amber, if you wanna hang around with these bunch of losers, then be my guest."

And Troy and Blake stormed off. Everyone else looked confusedly at Amber, who sighed.

"I guess I should explain. Before I met up with you guys, I used to hang out with Blake and his gang. He never used to speak to me or anything, but I had nowhere else to go. He used to get me to sit by him in all the lessons and stuff, but he wouldn't talk to me then either. I wasn't allowed to talk to his friends, but I don't know why. I guess he treated me like I belonged to him." Explained Amber. "I'm not sure whether he told his friends that I was his girlfriend, but he would never say anything to me. I was only there to him if he had no one else to talk to. Even though I was never allowed to talk to him when his friends were there, he always told me, privately, that I had to stick by him."

"How could he do that?" wondered Ray aloud. "It's one thing to pretend you're going out, but it's a whole new level when he doesn't talk to you in public. That's called selfish!"

"Why did you put up with it?" asked Emily, readjusting her glasses.

"I dunno." Amber shrugged. "I guess I was scared to make my own friends in case of what Blake said."

Toni looked shocked then, but it wasn't about what Amber said. "Oh my God! What's the time?" she asked frantically.

Hilary looked at her watch. "It's almost 4.15pm. Why?"

Then Kelly realised too. "Oh no. Sorry guys, we gotta run. See you tomorrow!" And they ran off.

"Hmm, wonder why they're in such a rush?" questioned Tyson.

"Oh well. I suppose we'd better get heading home too." Suggested Mariah.

"Yeah, OK. See you all tomorrow." And they waved each other goodbye.

Toni and Kelly ran down the road, their bags hitting off their backs. Their feet thudded on the floor as they pounded down the street. Kelly started to lag behind.

"Come on Kel! We're late already, without you slowing us down!" Toni accused.

"Sorry," she panted, catching up with Toni.

"If I miss it, then you're gonna explain to Zeo, not me!" Toni shouted at Kelly.

"Explain to Zeo? I do **not** wanna do that! He'd kill me!" Kelly said, and she ran even faster.

It was now 4.25pm. They ran and ran, and Toni pulled out her house keys. She slid them into the lock and turned each of the three locks, and they burst into the house. Toni ran into the living room and turned the TV on, while Kelly turned the VCR on. But they were too late. The end credits appeared on the screen. They'd missed it.

"Bloody hell! Now you've got to give reasons for missing it to Zeo!" shouted Toni, and she stomped into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Kelly slowly sank to the chair. How could she have forgotten? Toni wouldn't stop reminding her all last night. Kelly decided to ring Mariam. She hoped she might have some advice for her. Kelly dived into her bag with the phone numbers on, then picked up the phone and wandered into her room.

She sat on her bed as the phone started to ring through.

Mariam: Hello?

Kelly: Hi Mariam, it's Kelly.

Mariam: Oh hi Kelly! What's up?

Kelly: I'm in a bit of trouble. You know Zeo don't you?

Mariam: Kind of . . .

Kelly: What do you mean, 'kind of'?

Mariam: Well, I know who he is and everything, but I don't **know** him.

Kelly: Damn. Toni was supposed to record something really important on telly for Zeo, as he hasn't got that channel, and because of my battle, we missed it. And now, she's saying that I'm gonna have to explain to Zeo why we missed it.

Mariam: And you're thinking he's gonna go crazy?

Kelly: Hit the nail on the head.

Mariam: Maybe you could call Tyson? He's really good friends with Zeo, even though he doesn't go to Smithton.

Kelly: Oh yeah. Thanks Mariam! By the way, are you gonna be on MSN later?

Mariam: Probably. I can't promise anything.

Kelly: OK. See you later. Bye.

Mariam: Bye.

Kelly put the phone down. She didn't know whether phoning Tyson was a good idea or not. She finally decided that she had nothing to lose, so she phoned Tyson's house.

?: Wassup dog?

Kelly: Er, hi . . . Mr. Granger. I was wondering if Tyson was there please.

Grampa: Yeah, the little dude's just practising his martial arts. Is this one of his homey's?

Kelly: No, this is Kelly. I'm a . . .

Grampa: So I was right on! You're Tyson's girlfriend, yeah?

Kelly: NO! I mean, no I'm not. My sister is. Look, can I just please speak to Tyson?

Grampa: Oh yeah. Sorry bout that dudette. Thought this was his girlfriend, you dig? Here you go.

Tyson: Hello?

Kelly: Hi Tyson. It's Kelly.

Tyson: Oh. Hi.

Kelly: Sorry for interrupting your training.

Tyson: You actually helped me out. Grandpa was making me do press-ups and sit-ups and laps and stuff. All that was before I came to the real stuff.

Kelly: Erm, I'm not sure how to put this, but . . . you know Zeo?

Tyson: Yeah? What about him?

Kelly: Well, say he wanted something really badly, and then he couldn't get it, what would his reaction be like?

Tyson: He'd go mental! Especially if it was someone else's fault!

Kelly: I was afraid of that . . .

Tyson: Why? What's up?

Kelly: Well, Toni was supposed record something really important on telly for Zeo, as he hasn't got that channel, and because of my battle, we missed it. And now, she's saying that I'm gonna have to explain to Zeo why we missed it.

Tyson: Well, how's Toni taken it? Cos Toni's like me and Zeo's like me, so they are pretty similar and the way Toni took it might be the same way as Zeo is gonna take it.

Kelly: God help me then. She's gone in a mood with me.

Tyson: Try and patch things up with Tone first, then she might not be so hard on you. Then when you tell Zeo, tell him that it was because of a Beybattle. He might understand then.

Kelly: OK. Thanks Tyson.

Tyson: No problem.

Kelly: See you.

Tyson: Yeah, bye.

Kelly put the phone down again. Tyson hadn't been much help, but thought that she had better try and make amends with Toni. Now was not the time though. Kelly wanted to tell Zeo as soon as possible, and get it over and done with. She knew he would be at the gym practising, so she scribbled a note saying she'd gone out, and walked out of the house.

Kelly recited what she was going to say to Zeo in her head as she made her way to the gym, but knew that no matter how many times she thought it over, it wouldn't make it any better.

She reached the gym and took a deep breath. She opened the door, and everyone who was in there turned their head and looked at her briefly, before going back to their activities. Kelly's eyes scanned the area, but couldn't see anyone matching Zeo's description. But then again, there were that many people in there, it was impossible to tell.

She wandered over to an information desk that was situated at the back of the hall, when a Beyblade came flying in front of her, slightly cutting her face. Kelly flew around to see where it had come from.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Have I hurt you? I didn't mean to. I guess I got carried away with my training." A boy with turquoise hair came bounding up, and picking up his silver and turquoise blade.

Kelly seemed to be knocked to her senses. She snarled at first, but then realised.

"Erm, are you Zeo?"

The boy looked shocked. "Yeah, how did you know?"

Kelly sighed. This was gonna take some explaining.

"Right, introductions first. I'm Kelly. Tyson's girlfriend's sister." Explained Kelly.

"You're Toni's sister? Whatever. She hasn't even got a sister!" accused Zeo.

"That's what everyone thought. I actually went to a different school, but I didn't like it, so I left. Anyway, I need to tell you summat important . . ." started Kelly, but was cut off.

"No, you're lying! I know that Toni hasn't got a sister!" Zeo said.

"Well if I wasn't her sister, how would I know that she was supposed to record a programme for you today at 4.00pm? And that it lasted for twenty minutes. And also that you're Tyson's friend. Think about it. If I weren't related, then I couldn't know all this stuff. And I know personal stuff about Toni that even you and Tyson don't know about." Kelly waited and saw the reaction on Zeo's face. She knew she was starting to get through to him. "Listen to what I have to say, and then make your mind up about me, OK?"

"Fine." Agreed Zeo reluctantly. He crossed his arms as though he knew he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

"Well, today, after school, I had a Beybattle. It took longer than I thought it would, so me and Toni were kinda late home. By the time we got in . . . the programme that she was supposed to record . . . it finished." Clarified Kelly, biting her lip.

Zeo's face turned to thunder. "You what?! Do you know how long I've been waiting to see this programme?! It's not going to be screened again for another year or so!"

"I know, and I'm really sorry . . ." Kelly said, starting to apologise.

"Sorry?! You think saying sorry will make everything all better? 'Oh Zeo, I'm so sorry I missed the programme that you've been waiting to see for months. But never mind, what's done is done.' I don't think so." Imitated Zeo.

"I know! I've been a real jerk, and if I could turn back time, I would! I didn't mean to miss it, but if it was you that was Beybattling instead of me, then you wouldn't have given up! See this?" said Kelly, her voice becoming louder. She pointed angrily at her black eye. "I was given this on my first day of school, and I Beybattled to get revenge on the bully who did this to me!"

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you now?! Was that your sympathy story to get me to forget all about it so we can be friends?! Well you got another think coming!" shouted Zeo, as he had reached the end of his patience.

The other members of the gym all stopped what they were doing and looked their way.

"You think that I'm lying? You think that I'd give myself a black eye and then make up a tale to go with it? You are deluded." Spat Kelly, and she turned around and stormed off.

Zeo also turned on his heel and resumed his training. He couldn't believe that Toni had let him down like that, and just because of her so called 'sister'. He didn't know if he believed that girl's story, but decided he needed to find out. He would call Toni later on; see if any of this was true.


	7. Chapter 7

When Kelly got home, Toni was in the kitchen, making herself a sandwich. Toni looked at her as she opened the door, but then simply turned her nose up at her.

"Back from your friend's? You should've stayed there. I don't want you here." Said Toni, making her way back to her bedroom.

"Actually, I went to see Zeo. He thinks that I'm a lying bitch and that you haven' t even got a sister, so I don't exist. Happy now?" And Kelly stomped off to her bedroom.

Kelly slammed her door shut and turned up her stereo as loud as it would go, then pressed play. She couldn't care less what CD was in, so she just flopped onto her bed. She hadn't gotten a proper chance to make a new friend, and now her sister hated her. She couldn't believe her luck.

The phone rang. Kelly couldn't be bothered to answer it, and neither could Toni. Their mom picked up the phone and heard a boy's voice. She called to Toni, saying that it was Zeo. Toni picked up the phone in her room, and her mom put the phone down in the kitchen.

Toni: Hi Z. Listen, I'm really sorry about . . .

Zeo: Do you really have a sister? I had someone come over to me at the gym today and she claimed she was your sister.

Toni: Unfortunately, yes. Did she have brown hair?

Zeo: Yeah. I accidentally cut her face when she first walked in, then she explained to me. How could you let me down like that Toni? I trusted you to do me one favour, and you couldn't even do that. How can I trust you anymore?

Toni: Z, that was just a one-off. It won't happen again, I promise.

Zeo: What, like you promised to record that programme for me?

Toni: Zeo, I'm really sorry. What else can I say?

There was an awkward silence then. Zeo knew he shouldn't be taking it out on Toni. It wasn't really her fault.

Zeo: I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have had a go at you like that. It's not your fault.

Toni: Thanks Z. I new you'd understand.

Zeo: And about your sister. I can't forgive her as easy as I did you, because I don't even know her.

Toni: If I know Kelly, which I don't that much, she'll make it up to you.

Zeo: She'd better. Anyway, I gotta go. Can we meet tomorrow? Say, 10.00am at the park?

Toni: OK. What about the Bladebreakers? Them too?

Zeo: OK. I'll give them all a quick ring. See you tomorrow then.

Toni: See you Z.

She hung up and decided not to tell Kelly that they were going out tomorrow. Otherwise she'd wanna come, and she didn't think that was such a good idea. Zeo was still pretty mad at Kelly, so things might've gotten ugly.

Toni logged onto her laptop. She inserted everyone's email address to her buddy list, and saw that only Max, Amber and Kenny were on. Kelly was also on, most likely logged onto her own laptop in her room. Toni opened a conversation with Max, then invited Amber and Kenny. says: hey, wots up. Wheres says: in her room. We had an says: an argument? Bout says: nothin really. Hey amber, you wanna meet up with me and the Bladebreakers 2moro? We're meetin up 10 in the park if u wanna says: Yeah, we're meeting up with Zeo. says: k. shall I bring my says: yeh, ok. We can hav a battle. I wont go easy on u cos ur a girl tho. says: I don't expect u 2. I'll win n e way. says: Confidence is good Amber, but too much can lead to a loss. says: no way am I gonna says: I gtg. I'll c ya 2moro. Bye

Max signed off MSN for a minute and picked up the phone. He dialled the LaVelle's house and hoped Toni didn't pick it up. His luck was in. It was their mom who answered.

"Hi, this is Max. Is Kelly there please?" asked Max politely.

"Yes. Hang on a moment." Said their mom. She called Kelly so she picked up the phone in her room. Their mom put the phone down.

Kelly: Hello?

Max: Hi Kelly, it's Max.

Kelly: Oh. Hi Max.

Max: What's up? You sound disappointed.

Kelly: Well, I was hoping . . . Oh, it's nothing.

Max: No, tell me.

Kelly: Well, I was kinda hoping it was Zeo. Because of my battle, me and Toni missed this programme on telly that we were supposed to record for him. I went and told him earlier, and now he's really mad at me. I hoped it was Zeo phoning to say sorry for having a go at me, but I guess he's not gonna.

Max: Zeo's a lot like Tyson. Stubborn.

Kelly: What am I gonna do Max? I can't be his enemy for the rest of my life!

Max: You could see if you could download it off the Internet or something. What programme was it?

Kelly: I don't know. I think it was a documentary on Beyblading or something.

Max: My dad's got a load of Beyblading tapes. Do you know what it was called?

Kelly: Er . . . I think it was called 'The T&S of Beyblading'. You know, for techniques and strategies.

Max: Wait there. I'll go have a look see if I've got it.

Max left the phone on the side, and went to find his dad. He asked where all the Beyblading videos were, then went to find them when his dad had told him they were in a cabinet in the basement. He couldn't find 'The T&S of Beyblading', so he went back to his room to tell Kelly.

Max: Sorry. We haven't got that one.

Kelly: Damn. Oh well. It looks like I'll have to be enemies with Zeo forever.

Max: I could put in a good word for you tomorrow. We're all meeting up and . . . whoops.

Kelly: What do you mean, 'whoops'?

Max: I said that I wouldn't tell you we were meeting up.

Kelly: Who's we?

Max: The Bladebreakers, Toni, Zeo and Amber.

Kelly: Oh that's nice (!) No one invites me! I've known you guys longer than Amber has, yet she's the one who gets to tag along, not me!

Max: It's not like that! We just thought . . .

Kelly: Yeah I know what everyone thinks. I'm too posh for you lot. I went to a posh-nob bratty school so I can't hang around with you.

Max: I told you, it's not like that. Zeo . . .

Kelly: You know what? I don't care about Zeo! I don't care about Beyblading anymore! I don't care about the Bladebreakers, I don't care about Toni, and I don't care about you!

And the line went dead. Kelly had hung up. Max felt a mix between sadness and anger. He had tried being nice to Kelly, and had tried to help her out. Yet all she could do in return was to shout at him. What worried him most was the last line. 'I don't care about the Bladebreakers, I don't care about Toni, and I don't care about you.' Was it true?

Kelly lay on her bed face down and sobbed. She wished she'd stayed at her old school now. She wished that she could make friends with Zeo. She wished she hadn't said that to Max.

She sat up and looked in the mirror that was on her bedside table. Her eye was still bruised, but not as bad as it was on the morning. She thought about it. Max had stood up for her then. And he had helped her with her battle. She felt terrible. She had taken her anger out on Max when he was just being nice to her. She was going to apologise. Not today though. Tomorrow. To Max, to Zeo and to Toni.

The next morning Kelly woke up first. She got up and got changed, then tied her hair up into a ponytail. She made herself some toast, and turned the telly on. She just flicked to the news to see if anything interesting was happening. There on the telly, was Matt, Cassidy's stepfather. She knew it was Matt because when she did all her research on Beyblading in her old school, Matt's name came up a lot.

Kelly finished her toast quickly and grabbed her mobile and her keys. She ran out of the house and round to Cassidy's. She knocked rapidly on the door.

Cassidy opened the door, looking wide-awake.

"Hey Kel, what's up?" she asked.

"Still an early bird, eh Cass? Anyway, did you know that Matt was on the telly?" Said Kelly. "ITV1."

"Really? I wondered why he said he'd gotta go to London for a while. Come in." invited Cassidy. They both walked into the living room and they sat down on Cassidy's white leather sofa. Cassidy picked up the remote and flicked to ITV1. Sure enough, there was Matt.

Matt was giving a short presentation on the new Beyblading tournament, and he was joined by Mr. Dickinson. They were saying that anyone could enter and they would be competing against the current world champions, the Bladebreakers. It was a knockout contest; once you lost, you were eliminated.

"Did you know they were gonna tell everyone this early?" asked Kelly.

"No. I thought they would've kept it a few more weeks before they told the Press." Said Cassidy, resting her chin on her hand. "Anyway, what're you doing up this early? You never were one to be up in the mornings."

"I'm gonna follow Toni when she gets up. I've got a bit longer before she goes out. She won't even be up yet." Kelly said, checking her watch.

"Why are you going to follow her? Is she acting suspiciously?" Enquired Cassidy.

"No, Sherlock Holmes (!) We had an argument last night. I need to apologise to her, Zeo and Max. I need to apologise to Toni for letting her let Zeo down, I need to apologise to Max for shouting at him last night down the phone, and I need to apologise to Zeo for missing a TV programme that Toni was supposed to record for him. Because of my battle yesterday, we missed it." Kelly was getting a bit tired of telling that story. It seemed permanently stuck to the end of her tongue as she had told it that many times.

"OK, but who is Zeo?" asked Cassidy, looking completely baffled.

"He's Toni's friend. He's a Bladebreaker VIP too, but he doesn't go to Smithton. I don't even know if he goes to school." Kelly explained.

"Right. What programme was it?" Asked Cassidy.

"It was a documentary on Beyblading. 'The T&S of Beyblading'. Why?"

"I think Matt recorded it last night."

"Oh my God! Did he? If he did, please please please can I borrow it?" Pleaded Kelly, sliding off the sofa and joining her hands into a begging position.

Cassidy walked over to the VCR and ejected a video. She smirked. "Matt doesn't need it now. He only recorded it to help him with what he should say in the presentation today. So you can have it. But, only if you say, 'Oh Cass, you are the most brilliant person in the whole world. I could never beat your intelligence.' Let's hear it." She waved the video in front of Kelly's face teasingly.

"Fine! Oh Cass, you are the most brilliant person in the whole world. I could never beat your intelligence. Now gimme! GIMME!" cried Kelly, jumping up.

"Well done, my child. You have passed my test. You are now a member of the 'All Hail Great Cassidy' club." And Cassidy handed Kelly the tape.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Kelly kissed the tape, as she was so pleased. Then she ran over to Cassidy and hugged her hard. "I gotta go now. Don't wanna miss Toni. See you! Oh, and thank you!" And Kelly ran out of the house.

She skipped home, she knew that Zeo must forgive her now. Toni should forgive her too, cos Zeo would be happy, and Max should understand that she was a bit moody yesterday, and didn't mean any of it.

As she slipped her keys into the door, it opened from the other side. It was Toni.

"Where are you going?" Kelly asked innocently.

"Out." Said Toni bluntly.

"Nah, I thought you were staying in all day (!)" said Kelly sarcastically, before going inside. She needed to grab her bag and make sure Toni didn't realise she was following her. She found a small bag, slipped her mobile, keys, purse and the video into it, then quietly left the house.

Toni walked quite quickly to the park, with Kelly always quite a way away. It looked like Tyson and Kenny had forgot all about their little argument yesterday. The others were already there, but Kelly noticed Max wasn't as bright and cheery as usual. 'Did what I say really have that much of an impact on him?' she thought to herself. She hid behind a tree whilst Toni went over and said 'Good morning'.

After about five minutes, everyone was still chatting and no blading had started yet, when Kelly decided it was time. She stepped out from behind the tree, and walked over. She didn't dare look at them as she made her way over there, so she looked at her feet.

"What do you want?" snapped Toni as she saw her sister coming over. Then she turned to the Bladebreakers, Zeo and Amber. "Who told her we were meeting here?"

Max slowly raised his hand. "I told her we were meeting, but I didn't say here, and I didn't say when either."

"Let's see what she's got to say first. Let's see if she's gonna make up another story. " Said Zeo, crossing his arms.

Kelly took a deep breath and looked straight at everyone. Her eyes ran across everyone, then they seemed to rest on Toni. Her eyes seemed to soften; they didn't seem as sharp.

"I'm sorry. I completely forgot about the programme. You should understand why I needed to battle Troy." Kelly apologised.

Then she turned to Zeo. "We got off on the wrong foot yesterday, and I wanna make it up to you. This is for you." She took the video out of her bag.

"What's this? Are you taking the piss? Is this supposed to be so I never miss another programme? Well actually, I don't have that channel so I couldn't have . . ." Zeo started, but Kelly interrupted him.

"No. It's . . . 'The T&S of Beyblading'. An old friend helped me out. It's yours."

Kelly knew that Max would be harder to win around than Toni and Zeo. She turned to him.

"Max . . . I'm so sorry about last night." Everyone else looked confused, as Max hadn't told anyone about the conversation they had the night before. Max couldn't look Kelly in the eye.

"You should've thought about that last night. Remind me never to try and do you another favour again." Max said.

"But . . . I didn't mean . . ." Kelly couldn't finish her sentence. Her eyes started swelling with tears. "I am so sorry Max. I wasn't in my right mind . . ."

"I'm starting to think if you have a right mind. I was trying to see what was wrong, so you go and bite my head off. No point doing you any favours."

Kelly burst into tears and ran off. She couldn't believe it. Had she really been that tough on him to turn her sweet, cheery Max into that? 'This is it. Max'll never forgive me. I try to patch things up, so he throws everything back in my face.' Kelly then clicked. 'I did that last night. He was trying to cheer me up, but I throw everything that isn't his fault into his face. Some friend I am.'

She stopped running, and slumped onto the floor under the bridge. She tried to remember what she had said to Max. She racked her brain, looking for the answer, but she couldn't find it. She huddled up as small as she could, her head between her knees, as that was how big she felt. She heard someone's footsteps, but didn't look up.

"What happened last night?" someone asked. Kelly recognised his voice. It was Ray.

"What do you care? No one cares." Said Kelly, sniffing.

"Even though you can't see it right now, Max cares about you." He sat down beside her. "Listen, I've known Max a long time now. Like I've known Tyson, Kenny and Kai. We're all mates, and Max considers you as a very close friend."

"I can't remember what I said to him last night. Whatever it was, I take it back." Said Kelly.

"I think he knows that, but he still doesn't understand why you said it. Catch him later by himself, then really show you're sorry." Advised Ray.

"How am I supposed to do that? I already told him, but he doesn't believe me. He thinks that I meant what I said, but I didn't, I love him." Kelly felt like slapping herself. That last part had slipped out; she hadn't intended to let out her feelings that much. But to her surprise, Ray didn't seem that shocked.

"I know. You know. He knows. You just gotta show him that he knows. That's all I can tell you now. Cheer up and think about what I just said. Catch you later." Said Ray, then he stood up and ran off back to the park.

Ray felt awkward that he knew about Kelly's true feelings to Max. He didn't want to tell anyone, but he didn't want to keep it locked to himself, in case it burst out of him. He decided he'd keep it to himself and think it over properly before releasing that sort of information. Max and Kelly would never hear the end of it from Tyson and Toni.

He slowed down his run to a gentle jog as he neared the park. Everyone apart from Max made their way over to Ray.

"Is she okay? Where did she go?" they asked.

"I think she's gonna be fine." Smiled Ray, but in his head, he wasn't sure.

Cassidy sat at home watching Matt on the telly for a while longer after Kelly had left, but became bored pretty quickly. She grabbed her keys and mobile, and then set out of the house. She text Kelly, as she walked along to the shop to buy a bag of crisps.

A minute after she sent the text to Kelly asking where she was, she got a reply. She opened it as she was just at the cashier. It read: Meet me by d riva, unda d bridge. I need 2 talk 2 u asap. Thnx.

Cassidy handed the cashier the money, then walked out. Meet her by the river? What for? Cassidy hadn't got time to contemplate the matter, it was clear that Kelly wanted to see her urgently. She hurried along the path to the park, and saw the Bladebreakers, Toni, Amber, and another kid with turquoise hair. She went over to them to say a quick hi.

"Hey guys. What's up?" she asked happily.

"Nothing really." Said Kai, who was sitting on top of the climbing frame. He was in his usual sitting position with one leg crossed, and the other bent so it was sticking up, and leaning on it.

"Oh my God. The great King Kai has spoken!" said Tyson, faking a bow.

Toni laughed, and joined in. She faked a curtsey, then got down on her knees and seemed to be praying to Kai.

Kai just rolled his eyes. He couldn't be bothered with their childish attitude today.

"Anyone seen Kelly? She just text me asking me to meet her, but when I saw you guys, I thought she might have been here with you." Cassidy said.

The eight of them exchanged glances, before Ray spoke.

"I've seen her. She isn't too happy at the moment. I think she may wanna tell you herself. She's down by the river."

"OK, thanks Ray. See you all later." She said, and carried on walking down to the river.

She couldn't help wondering who the new kid was. Why hadn't she seen him at Smithton before? She thought about it for a minute and realised he must be Zeo. But, right now though, she had a bigger problem to deal with. As she was walking, she saw Kelly huddled up on the floor. She walked over.

"Hey, Kel. What's up?" asked Cassidy gently.

"Oh, Cass. It's terrible." Kelly burst into a fresh set of tears, and explained everything to Cassidy. She even told Cassidy about her feelings towards Max. "I just don't know what to do. I really, really like him Cass."

"I can't help you Kelly. I'd really like to, honestly I would, but it's too hard for me. Only you can become friends again with Max. It's up to you. Hey, cheer up. You know Max, especially as you were always in the computer suite all the time at Madame Luton's. He'll come around. But, in the meantime, you wanna stop over mine tonight? Matt won't mind. He was always telling me to make more friends." Cassidy invited. "Let's go over to mine for a bit, then Matt can drop you at yours later so you can get some pyjamas and stuff. Yeah?"

Kelly nodded; she needed a friend now, more than ever before. She got up and walked along slowly with Cassidy. She hardly said anything, and even when she did she spoke quietly. When they passed the park, Kelly fell silent and hurried past. She knew that everyone was staring at her; she could feel their eyes piercing into her.

"Hey Max," Amber said to Max, who was sitting on a bench. "Look, there's Kelly. Maybe you should go and apolo . . ."

"I'll apologise when **_I'm_** ready. Will you all just get off my back?" he snapped.

"Yeah, but Max," said Kai. "You're losing a really close friendship there."

Max knew this already. He didn't need someone else telling him that. He stood up and wandered off, but in the opposite direction Kelly was going. As he turned to go the way Kelly had just come, he nearly walked into Cassidy.

"Hey, Max. How you doing?" Cassidy asked him as he walked past.

Max said nothing and carried on walking. He didn't know what to say to anyone at that moment. He walked along slowly, thinking everything over. Kelly had looked upset, and Cassidy looked worried for her friend when he had walked past her.

When Kelly had got well out of sight of the park, she slowed down so Cassidy could catch up with her. When Cassidy turned up at her side, Kelly broke into tears again.

"See Cass? He doesn't care about me. No one does." She sobbed.

"Hey, hey." Encouraged Cassidy. "Come on Kel, it's not healthy to keep crying like this. Cheer up a bit. Lets see that big smile of yours."

But Kelly couldn't. She couldn't even force one to appear on her face. She had truly messed up the one chance she'd had with Max, and there was no going back.


	8. Chapter 8

It was getting late. Kelly had collected her stuff from home and was lying on Cassidy's bed staring up at the ceiling. Cassidy was sitting at her desk, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey, wanna put on some music?" she asked, thinking that might cheer her up a bit.

"Not bothered. If you want to." Replied Kelly, still staring.

Cassidy was getting a bit annoyed now. She understood Kelly was upset, but it wasn't right to be so down. Kelly was normally a happy and chirpy person, but if Cassidy had been reunited with Kelly now instead of Thursday, she would've had no idea it was her.

The phone rang. Kelly paid no attention whatsoever, and neither did Cassidy. Matt answered it from the kitchen. He spoke to someone on the other end for a moment, and then knocked on Cassidy's door. He walked in, and mouthed that it was for Kelly.

"I don't really wanna talk to anyone at the moment, Mr. McAllister." Said Kelly, sitting up and looking at him.

Matt shrugged and handed the phone to Cassidy instead. Then, he walked out and shut the door behind him.

Cassidy: Hello?

?: Hi, it's Max.

Cassidy: Oh hi. I really think you need to talk to Kelly, even if it's just hello. Here, I'll pass you over to her now.

Cassidy smiled gently at Kelly, and handed the phone over to her. Kelly sniffed slightly, before reluctantly taking it.

Kelly: Hello?

Max: Hey, Kelly. I just wanted to tell you something.

Kelly: I already know. I'm a two-faced bitch who takes advantage of people. You didn't have to phone to remind me.

Max: No, it's not that. Do you know how much trouble I've had to get a hold of you? First I called yours, but your mom said you were out. She wasn't 100 percent sure, so she asked Toni. Then I had to wait for about five minutes while Toni logged onto the Internet. She asked everyone who was logged into MSN if they knew where you were, and someone suggested that you could be at Cassidy's. So that's when I phoned here.

Kelly: You really went through all that trouble for me?

Max: Yeah, well . . . you took a hit for me. It was the least I could do.

Kelly: But you already repaid me for that. You helped me in the Beystadium.

Max: Yeah, but sometimes there are things you gotta do naturally, not as a favour. Which brings me to why I phoned. I'm sorry for having a go at you earlier. I didn't mean it. But what you said to me last night – the part where you didn't care about me – it really got under my skin. And I'm sorry.

Kelly: Well I'm sorry too. I was so frustrated about being left out, I didn't realise what I was saying. I couldn't even remember what I had said to you to get you so mad.

Max: So, we're even now?

Kelly: Yep.

Max: And I was wondering . . . if you'd like to make a proper go of it. You and me.

Kelly: Oh Max! I'd love to!

Max: Really?

Kelly: Truly. Anyway, erm, I've gotta go now, it's not my phone. I'll text you tomorrow, OK?

Max: OK. Love you.

Kelly: Straight back at you.

Kelly pressed the hang up button. Cassidy was sat on her chair, looking anxiously at Kelly, to see what had been happening.

"Well?" she pressed, leaning forward. "What did he say?"

"Oh my God! We're going out!" Kelly cried.

Both of them squealed, and they hugged each other. Cassidy was happy to see Kelly happy again, and Kelly was just plain over the moon.

"Hey, Cass, can we put on some music now?" asked Kelly, standing up and going over to Cassidy's stereo.

"Sure. What're you putting on?" Cassidy began to say, but her question was answered as soon as she said it. Kelly had put on Missundaztood, her favourite album by Pink. Kelly skipped straight to track number 8, Family Portrait.

As Kelly and Cassidy did their homework, they sang along with the CD throughout the whole album. It would've only taken them a while to do their homework, but they kept getting distracted, so it took them almost the whole night.

The next day, Cassidy woke up early once again. Matt had already left to meet with Mr. Dickinson at another Press conference. Cassidy looked over at Kelly who was lying in her sleeping bag, sleeping peacefully. Kelly looked as though she was hugging someone, as her arms were wrapped around herself. Cassidy giggled gently, then got up and made herself a bowl of cereal. After a few hours at about 10.00, as Kelly was still asleep, Cassidy phoned Max. It was lucky that he was up, because Cassidy hadn't wanted to wake him. She thanked Max for speaking to Kelly last night, as she was much more happy about it now.

"Listen to what Kelly told me last night, but keep it to yourself for now. She's thinking about getting a small tattoo. She hasn't completely made up her mind yet, but I've got an inkling that she might." Cassidy explained.

"Really? You'll have to keep me updated." Max told her.

"Don't worry. I think she wants to tell a few people today, so you might be the first." Cassidy heard shuffling noises upstairs, and then footsteps coming down. "Erm, no thank you, I'm not interested in purchasing double-glazed windows. Bye!" She said loudly, before whispering that she'd gotta go.

Kelly came down the stairs, yawning. Her hair was all over the place, and she looked absolutely shattered.

"Who was that? I mean, who on Earth would phone this early in the morning?" Kelly asked, yawning again.

"Just some idiot asking if I wanted double-glazed windows. And just so you know, it's not that early. It's ten past ten."

"Really? Hey, let's get ready and we can meet up with Toni and the other girls in my form. Maybe the Bladebreakers too." Kelly suggested.

"OK. You phone around, and I'll start getting ready. It might take me a while with this god damn leg of mine." And Cassidy wandered upstairs to get ready.

Instead of phoning around, Kelly text everyone to ask if they were free. All of the Bladebreakers were, and so were Toni and Salima. Emily had to go visit some relatives, Hilary had to finish off an essay that was due in on Monday, and if she didn't do it she would be in big trouble by her teacher, Mariah was grounded because her Science teacher had sent her parents a letter about Mariah's behaviour, and Mariam had to go and see the Saint Shields. She couldn't get a response from Amber. Kelly told them all to meet her at Cassidy's house as soon as they could, and made sure everyone knew what the address was.

Kelly went upstairs and changed into a bright pink halter neck top with a teardrop cut out of the neck, white three-quarter length trousers and white wallabies. She then grabbed a small blue box, containing a pink nose stud. Kelly went into the bathroom and stood in front of a glass shelf with lots of Cassidy's perfumes on, and there was a mirror on the wall behind it.

She took a deep breath, and started messing with the diamond nose stud that was already in. She twisted it out, but immediately began feeling sick. She took the pink nose stud out of the box, but her hand started shaking, so she couldn't get it in the tiny hole. Everything started spinning, and Kelly tried to grab hold of something, anything that she could reach. The first thing she could reach was the shelf, but as she grabbed it, she blacked out, and collapsed on the floor.

"Kel? What're you doing? Are you OK?" called Cassidy from the bedroom, on hearing a crash. But failing to get a response, she rushed into the bathroom, and saw Kelly lying on the floor.

"Oh my God, Kel? Kelly, are you OK?" Cassidy sat on the floor next to her, and Kelly started coming round, her eyes fluttering open.

"It hurts, Cass. Stop it from hurting, please." Kelly said, trying to hold back tears.

"Tell me what hurts, and I'll try and help." Cassidy said gently, helping Kelly sit up and lean against the bath.

"My hand, and my belly." Said Kelly, lifting up her right hand, and pulling her top up slightly with her left hand.

Cassidy gasped. Kelly's right hand and her belly were cut open. She looked around, to see what on Earth could've caused it. She saw shattered glass everywhere, and where the shelf was, only about half of it was left.

Cassidy grabbed a towel and a flannel and wet them in cold water. She gently, yet firmly, wrapped the flannel around Kelly's hand, and the towel around her stomach.

"I'll be right back, I just gotta use the phone." Said Cassidy. She hurried into Matt's bedroom, where she knew he had a phone. She dialled 999 and asked for an ambulance to be rushed to her address. She put the phone down and rushed back into the bathroom. She knew that Kelly hated hospitals and ambulances, so didn't tell her that she'd phoned the paramedics.

"Cass, it still hurts. You said you'd stop it hurting." Kelly whimpered.

"I know, but some people are coming now to look at you. They won't be long." Cassidy encouraged. "Hey, what were you trying to do anyway?"

"Change my nose stud. I haven't changed it for quite a while, so I thought I should." Kelly shrugged, but winced as this irritated her cut on her belly.

A few minutes later, a knock came at the door.

"Let me just answer that. Stay there," Said Cassidy, and she speedily got to the door. She was so sure it was the paramedics, but when she opened the door she saw Max.

"Hiya, Cass. Are you both ready to go out yet?" He asked.

"Erm, no Max. We've got a bit of a situation. Could you wait out the front and tell the other guys to meet us at Solihull Hospital?" Cassidy asked.

"Hospital? Why? Are you OK?" Max enquired, looking up and down her to check she was OK.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but Kelly's not. Max, if you wanna help, please, tell the others to meet us at Solihull hospital!" Said Cassidy, and she shut the door, leaving Max no other choice but to sit on the front wall and wait for the others.

Cassidy started to go back upstairs, but the door was knocked again. Cassidy called up the stairs to Kelly that she'd be up in a minute, and answered the door. This time, there were two paramedics.

"She's upstairs in the bathroom. I think she fainted, but that's not the problem." Said Cassidy, pointing up the stairs.

One of them ran upstairs into the bathroom, and the other stopped first to ask Cassidy about her, seeing as she had crutches. Cassidy explained to him that it was an accident a long time ago from which she'd probably never recover, and then the paramedic followed the other into the bathroom.

Cassidy followed him up, and sat on the floor next to Kelly in the bathroom whilst the paramedics were checking her over.

"You know I don't like hospitals and stuff, Cass. Why did you call them?" Kelly cried, as she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Kelly didn't expect an answer from Cassidy, and she just stared at the floor.

"Can you walk, love?" Asked the first paramedic, giving Kelly her hand. Kelly nodded slightly, and got up, but she kept her left hand over her stomach.

"It really hurts," she cried to the paramedics.

"We know, love. That's why we need to take you to the hospital. Come on, the faster we get there the sooner it will stop hurting." Said the second paramedic, and he supported her as she walked down the stairs.

The first paramedic opened the front door, and Max turned around, where now Kai, Tyson, Ray, Kenny, Salima and Toni were too. They had seen the ambulance outside and thought they might as well wait and see if Kelly was OK. Kelly didn't want to look at them, but didn't have much choice.

"Kelly! Are you OK?" Asked Max, running over to her.

"She should be fine, but can you excuse us please? We need to get to the hospital as soon as we can." Said the first paramedic. Max stepped aside, and let Kelly, the second paramedic and Cassidy through.

The first paramedic climbed into the driver's seat, whereas Kelly and the second paramedic went into the back.

"I'll see you later, Kel." Said Cassidy, waving a small goodbye, as the doors closed and the ambulance raced off.

Cassidy then explained to the others what had happened, and the wondered how they could get there.

"Well, my dad runs a taxi company. We could ask him if he could get 2 taxis to take us to Solihull Hospital," suggested Salima.

"Yeah, let's do it!" agreed the others. Everyone went into Cassidy's house, and were quite surprised on how tidy everything was. Cassidy picked up the phone and handed it to Salima, who was wearing a ruched purple top and black jeans. She dialled a number, and spoke on the phone to her dad, asking if she could have two taxis to Solihull Hospital. He agreed, but only if Salima would help around the house a bit more. Salima reluctantly said she would, and put down the phone.

"Don't worry, Salima, we'll help you." Offered Kenny, and they all went and waited outside for the taxis to turn up.

They eight friends rushed out of the taxis as they reached the hospital. Max went up to the main reception desk, and spoke to the receptionist.

"Hi, we're here to see Kelly LaVelle. Could you tell us where we could find her?" He asked, tapping his foot on the floor, impatiently.

"Hmm, let me check." Said the receptionist, typing into her database. She clicked a few times with the mouse, and then nodded to herself. "Here we go. Kelly LaVelle, brought in by ambulance at 10.35? Yes, she's being seen by a doctor at the moment, but if you could all just take a seat, I'll call you when she's ready." She smiled, and pointed over at some seats in the waiting area.

They all groaned or sighed, but found seats. Toni sat down next to a small table, and looked through a stack of magazines, but could only find television guides, and magazines on fishing etc. She stood up and strode over to the reception desk.

"Excuse me, but you have no magazines that suit me. I don't really want to read about fishing or what's on the telly, I'd like to read . . ." Started Toni, but Tyson had come over and had started dragging her back to her seat.

"We're here to see if your sister's alright," said Tyson, pushing her gently into a seat. "Not for you to read a magazine."

Toni sighed again, and started humming tunes to herself instead. She was a bit worried about Kelly, but was bored to death. She looked up at the clock on the wall. 10.45. It had been about fifteen minutes since Kelly had cut herself.

After about ten minutes of waiting, a doctor came out through some double doors that obviously led to different wards.

"I hear that some people are looking for Kelly LaVelle?" he asked, looking around the seating area.

The eight of them all stood up, and the doctor looked a bit taken aback by the amount of people.

"There's only enough room for four people at the moment, so split yourself into two groups." He instructed. Cassidy, Toni, Max and Salima stepped forward first. They followed him through the double doors, and along a white corridor. He took them right to the end, and then turned left. In the first room, lying in the bed was Kelly.

They all rushed forward, asking if she was alright. Kelly nodded feebly, and smiled slightly. The doctor pulled four chairs next to the bed, and they all took a seat.

"What we've done is cleaned out the wounds, as they were infected with some sort of cosmetic, and bandaged them up. We're still a bit worried about how deep the cut is on her stomach, so she'll be staying overnight and tomorrow too. If we're still not convinced, she may have to stay in tomorrow night as well." Explained the doctor.

"I'm so sorry, Kel. I couldn't just leave you there, I wouldn't have known what to do." Apologized Cassidy, holding Kelly's left hand, and squeezing it gently.

"I know. It's OK. I'm just so tired now." Kelly said quietly.

"Have a sleep then. We won't mind, and I don't think the other guys will either." Said Max, and he kissed her forehead.

"What do you mean, the others?" Asked Kelly.

"The rest of the Bladebreakers are here. They're worried too." Salima said.

"I can't sleep if you all came here just for me." Yawned Kelly.

"I'm surprised you're tired. You didn't get up until about 10 o'clock this morning." Joked Cassidy.

"Yeah, but fainting doesn't half take the life out of you." Kelly said, yawning again.

"It would be advisable to rest, as the antibiotics will start wearing off soon, so you may feel some pain. This is normal, but if you are asleep, it will only be a fraction of what it would be if you were awake." Advised the doctor.

"See, even Doctor . . ." Toni paused, and looked at his nametag. "Doctor Tatibana? I'm sure I've heard that name before . . . Anyway, Doctor Tatibana says you should sleep."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'll stay awake if you want." Said Kelly.

"Nah, we know you're alright, so you sleep." Max recommended. Kelly nodded slightly, before closing her eyes and drifting off.

The receptionist that Max had spoken to earlier was at the door, with the rest of the Bladebreakers standing behind her.

"I'm sorry Doctor Tatibana. These boys wouldn't stop pestering me, so I couldn't take any calls. I thought if I brought them here, I could go back to my work." Explained the receptionist.

"That's fine, Patricia. Now, return to your duties." He said, and the receptionist nodded and scooted off.

"Hey, are you alright?" Tyson asked Kelly loudly.

"Tyson!" Max whispered, nudging him. "She's asleep."

Tyson mouthed an apology. The eight of them whispered among themselves, whilst Doctor Tatibana was checking Kelly's blood pressure, pulse and heart rate. Then a nurse came in and whispered something to him. He nodded, and spoke to them all.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to go now. You can come back and see Kelly tomorrow. If you just tell Patricia at the front desk, then I'm sure she'll escort you back here tomorrow." He smiled, and ushered them out and back into the waiting room.

"At least we know she's OK," shrugged Kenny.

"Yeah, that's a good point," agreed Kai.

None of them were really that shocked at Kai joining in conversations anymore, because ever since they had met up with Cassidy, Kelly and the rest of the VIPs, he had become a lot more relaxed. With all his friends behind him, he couldn't fail in anything. But his friends couldn't change the past.

The next day, Cassidy got up early again, but it was too early to visit Kelly. She got changed into a black and white striped top with a pink kiss mark on it, and white cropped trousers. She just slipped on a pair of white wallabies onto her feet. So, Cassidy logged onto MSN Messenger. She didn't really expect anyone to be on, she was just logging on to check of she had any emails. But, to her surprise, six of her contacts were on. She opened a conversation, and then invited everyone else in. So, Cassidy started talking to Kenny, Amber, Mariah, Mariam, Hilary and Emily. says: hi guys. Howz u says: bored stiff. Im not allowd out cos ive bin grounded. says: Ozuma completely wastd my tym. He wantd 2 c me bout makin sure d bit beasts were bein luked afta. says: well least u got 2 c ur frends. I had 2 finish off an essay 4 skool. says: my day was alryt. If alryt means bored to deth bcos u had 2 go + c ur family hu hav nufin betta 2 talk about than World War II. says: my parents took ma mobile off me and bannd me from usin d Net and d fone. They had no reeson tho. says: Well at least you guys didn't have any bad luck or bad news. says: it wasn't exactly bad news 4 me, but my dad came home from work last nyt and told me about this patient. He sed dat dey had fainted and cut all der hand and belly. I felt relly sorry 4 dem. says: yeh, but u kno wots even mor amazing? It was sum1 we all kno. says: omg, says: Let's narrow it down. Who's not logged on at the says: 1 of d says: says: so dat means eitha toni or says: Hit the nail on the head. says: omg, wich 1 is says: kelly. She stoppd ova myn not last nyt but d nyt b4, and den fainted yestaday morning in my bathroom. She cut her hand and belly on the shelf and got perfumes and stuff in it. I'm gonna go c her l8r. says: omg. Tell her I sed 2 get betta soon. I'd come + c her, but I'm grounded. I myt b abl 2 weasel my way out of it tho. Speshly if 1 of my frends is hurt, the 'rents myt let me out. says: well lemme kno a.s.a.p cos im goin in about half an hour. + the rest of u. if ne1's comin, meet me my place in about 20 mins. Gtg now neway, I need to talk 2 matt. C ya!

Cassidy logged off. She needed to see if Matt would give her and her friends a quick taxi service to the hospital. She went into the kitchen and saw Matt drinking a mug of coffee.

"Hey Cass. What's up?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Nothing. Oh, by the way, did I mention you're the best foster-dad anyone could ever wish for?" said Cassidy, trying to sound innocent.

"OK, missy. What do you want this time?" Asked Matt, putting his mug down and smirking. He knew Cassidy too well, and if she was acting all innocent, then she wanted something.

"Could you be my chauffeur for the day? Pleease?" she begged. She made sad eyes up at him, and he laughed.

"Depends. Where do you need to go?" he wondered aloud.

"Well, some of my friends might be coming in about twenty minutes, and we need to go to the hospital." She said, quite quietly.

"How many friends? And why are you going to the hospital?" he questioned, giving a quick glance over Cassidy to check she was alright.

"I'm fine, but Kelly's not. She fainted yesterday and cut herself, that's why the shelf was broken. I'm not sure how many friends. I think about . . ." started Cassidy, and she started counting off her friends on her fingers. "Well, there's Hilary, Amber, Mariah, Mariam, and Emily. Some other friends might come round unexpectedly though."

"So there are at least 6 of you? Good job we've got the people carrier. I still might have to make two trips, though. Unless I strap one of you to the roof," he joked.

Cassidy was just about to tell him what a lame joke that was, when someone knocked at the door. She didn't expect anyone to be here already, but still, she couldn't exactly leave them outside for another fifteen minutes. She went to answer the door, and standing there was Mariah, wearing a silver, studded halter-top and a black studded skirt. Her hair was down, and her bangs kept flicking in front of her eyes, obviously annoying her.

"Hiya. Sorry I'm early. I hope it's no problem to you." Said Mariah, trying to tuck her bangs behind her ears. "When I asked my folks if I could come out because my friend was in hospital, my dad said yes, but my mom said no. I shot out quickly before my mom could make my dad change his mind."

"That's fine. Come on in," invited Cassidy, holding the door open. "My foster-dad said he'd give us a lift."

Mariah walked in, and smiled at how posh the place looked. The walls were painted pale yellow, and there were glass flower-shaped lampshades around each light. As she walked into the living room, the first thing she spotted was a white fluffy rug in front of the television. Mariah had always wanted one, but her parents wouldn't let her have one because they were too expensive and she wouldn't be able to keep it clean. Cassidy's was spotless.

"Wow, I'd love one of these!" said Mariah, kneeling down and stroking it.

"Yeah, I know. Matt wanted to get rid of it," said Cassidy, sitting down on the white leather sofa.

Matt, hearing his name, came into the living room, with a tray with glasses of lemonade and biscuits on.

"Thanks Matt." Grinned Cassidy, as Matt placed the tray on the glass coffee table.

"Yeah, thanks Mr. McAllister," agreed Mariah, taking a glass of lemonade and sipping it.

Another knock came at the door about five minutes later, but this time, Matt got there first.

"Erm, hi. Is Cassidy there please?" came a girl's voice.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in." said Matt, and her showed her into the living room where Cassidy and Mariah were.

"Hey guys," said the girl. Cassidy and Mariah looked up, and Hilary was standing there. She had her hair tied into a loose bobble, and had black knee length boots on. She was wearing another skirt, but this one wasn't as short, and it was plain blue denim, and a tie-dye blue t-shirt on. She also had skin-coloured tights on.

"Hey, Hilary. What's up?" they asked.

"Not much," she replied. "How's Kelly? Have you heard from her?"

Cassidy shook her head. Hilary came and sat down next to her, and Mariah was still sitting on the fluffy rug.

They all chatted randomly, and one by one, the other three girls turned up. Emily was next, her ginger hair as messy as usual, and was wearing a strappy white top with pictures of red palm trees on with 'Paradise' written on and a pair of red shorts. Next to turn up was Amber, and her hair was neatly tied up into two plaits, one either side. She had a yellow top on with a picture of Tigger and yellow mini shorts with Tigger on the back pocket. Mariam, who arrived just as everyone else was about to leave, had her hair tied up exactly the same way as it was a few days before. She was wearing another black hooded top, but this one was 'SLIPKNOT', and her favourite dark blue flared jeans. She was wearing an amazing amount of jewellery; most of it was heavy stuff. It was pretty obvious she was a skater.

"About time you got here! We weren't sure whether you were coming or not!" exclaimed Emily, rearranging her glasses.

"Sorry!" panted Mariam, and it was clear that she had run all the way. "I was surfing through the Net, and I guess I got a bit carried away. When I realised, I shot out the front door and ran all the way here."

"That's OK," smiled Cassidy. Matt was standing in the hallway, swinging his car keys in his hand.

"Are we going then, or not?" he grinned, and him and all of the girls made their way out to the pearlescent people carrier on the drive. It was a lovely colour, sort of a silvery-lilac-sky blue colour. Everyone clambered aboard, with Matt helping Cassidy into the front seat.

"And I'm just telling you now," said Cassidy as she scrambled into the front passenger seat. "I'm not being rude, but it's easier for me to get into and out of the front seat, because there's more room."

"That's alright. Whatever's easiest for you," said Mariah, and she sat next to Amber.

Matt revved up the engine and they set off. There was little chatter as they made their way to the hospital, as everyone was listening to the radio, which was on 96.4 BRMB. Nick announced that he'd had a text asking if he would play Blood, Sweat and Tears by V for his girlfriend who was in hospital.

"That's no problem." Came Nick's voice over the radio. "Here we go, this is Blood, Sweat and Tears by V as requested by . . . Max!"

The girls squealed. There could only be one Max who had a girlfriend in hospital. They all thought this was such a sweet gesture, and were silent through the whole track.

As they reached the hospital, Matt dropped them off at the front door, and told them he'd be back to pick them up in about an hour. If they wanted a time difference, all they had to do was ring him on his mobile. Everyone thanked him and then hopped out.

They went up to the reception desk, and asked to see Kelly LaVelle, and because it was the same lady, Patricia, they were shown through straight away.

"Hey Cass," waved Kelly as she saw her in the doorway. The others were waiting just around the corner, hiding. "Look," she said, pointing at her right eye, where it had been bruised from the punch from Troy. "They managed to help the bruising fade. You can hardly tell!"

"That's brilliant! You're already on the mend," smiled Cassidy. "Hey, I brought some friends along. They wanted to see you," said Cassidy, and she gestured to the others to come in.

"HI GUYS!" cried Kelly, waving frantically as she saw Amber, Emily, Hilary, Mariah and Mariam. Inside she was a bit upset that Max hadn't come, but it was great that her friends had found some time to come and see her.

"Hi, Kelly. How are you? You feeling a bit better?" Asked Emily, sitting down next to her.

"Yep. I wanna get out of this place as soon as I can. I couldn't sleep at all last night. The sheets were all itchy, and the pillow is as flat as a pancake. They turned the heating right up as well, so I was really hot." Kelly said, all in one breath.

"Right, so not much to complain about then?" smirked Mariam.

"Right," giggled Kelly. "Erm, have any of you lot, erm, heard from Max?" she asked, trying to be casual.

"Yeah." Said Amber, smiling like a Cheshire cat. "Haven't you been listening to BRMB?"

"BRMB? No, they won't let me have a radio or TV or anything in here. Why?" Kelly asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, they played your favourite song: Blood, Sweat and Tears by V. Someone requested it." Explained Amber.

"No fair! I wish I could've heard it, I love that song!" moaned Kelly.

"Shame you didn't hear it then. It took me ages to get through. Oh well, at least you can listen to it all you want now." Came a voice from the doorway. Because everyone had been chatting, no one had noticed someone standing in the doorway.

Everyone looked, and Max was standing there, waving a CD in the air. He was smiling and laughing.

"Max!" Kelly cried, and tried to get out of the bed.

"No, stay there. You could do yourself some more damage." Said Max, coming in and pushing her back into the bed gently. "So you're feeling better?"

"Yep!" she said, smiling.

"Here you go then," said Max, and he handed her the CD. Kelly took it, and couldn't stop shrieking. It was V, with their brand new single, Blood, Sweat and Tears. Inside was a free poster of the five boys, three extra tracks, one of which was a collaboration with Busted, another boy band which Kelly loved.

"Oh my God! Thank you Max!" said Kelly, and she pulled him into a hug. Max grinned sheepishly, and then the eight of them carried on chatting about what the hospital was like.


	9. Chapter 9

"No way! Is she alright?" asked Zeo, who was sitting on top of the monkey bars.

The rest of the Bladebreakers, Toni, Salima and Zeo were all in the park, and they were explaining to Zeo about what had happened to Kelly.

"Yeah, she should be fine, but they kept her in overnight just to make sure." Said Toni.

Kenny groaned as two teenagers entered the park, a boy and a girl. He opened the lid to his laptop then started typing.

"What's up Chief?" asked Ray, looking at Dizzi's plasma screen.

"I'm gonna see if I can record some data of these two. They're well known bladers, Tania and Ricardo, but I've never managed to get any information on them whatsoever. They spend most of their time blading, but I've never seen them anywhere except Smithton." He said, typing quickly.

The girl, Tania, was about 16, had long silvery hair that was draped over her shoulders and light blue eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless sea blue shirt with an image of a blizzard on it, baggy light blue flared jeans, and black trainers. On her right shoulder, everyone could see a blue gem tattooed across it. She had an expressionless look on her face.

However, the boy Ricardo looked completely the opposite, apart from the fact that he also looked about 16. He had short reddish-brown hair that seemed to stick up naturally, and chocolate brown eyes. He was wearing a dark grey muscle shirt, khaki coloured cargo pants and big black Doc Martens. Tied loosely around his waist was a dark red sweatshirt. On his face however, was a small smirk.

They walked over to the very centre of the park, where there was a Beydish. Everyone else couldn't help watching, and Tania and Ricardo knew it. They nodded slightly at one another, and pulled out a launcher each. They slotted their blades into place; Tania's was a silver and light blue one, whereas Ricardo's was a red/brown colour with an orange bit-chip.

Without uttering a word, both of them released their blades at exactly the same time. The two Beyblades shot into the dish, and spun around the edge with great speed. Ricardo shot a glance over at the group of teenagers, and winked at Salima.

"Oh my God! Did you see that! That fit lad just winked at me!" she squealed, her hair bouncing up and down on her shoulders.

"Calm down, Salima. It's obvious the two are going out, so save your breath." Muttered Kai, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Awww, he's already taken . . . Oh well. I suppose there are plenty more fish in the sea." She shrugged.

"Why do you girls always talk about us boys as though we're property?" Asked Tyson, cocking one eyebrow.

Toni and Salima just shrugged, with an oblivious look on each of their faces.

Kenny was still typing frantically into the laptop, but the battle between Tania and Ricardo had already ended in a tie.

"Oh well. I guess we'll have to try another time Dizzi. Did you get much info?" Kenny asked, and everyone else looked at Dizzi's screen.

"Sorry Chief. It was over before it even started. The pair are two evenly matched, I know that much. Oh, here's something you might be interested in though: they both have a bit beast." Dizzi said, putting up the information on the two spirits.

"Yeah, and if you wanted information, you should've just asked. I don't like spying. It's devious, and seems like something bad guys would do in a film. You see what I'm getting at kids?" said a voice.

Everyone looked up, and saw the two teens towering above them, Tania in front, and Ricardo with the same smirk on his face.

"We're not kids!" Objected Tyson.

"Oh well. Denial. A state that all kids are constantly in." said Ricardo, crossing his arms. "And I don't like spying either, Tan. It's so . . . what's the word I'm looking for? Common." He laughed.

"Common, are we? Is it everyday you meet the world champions, the Bladebreakers?" Tyson said, standing up, but only reaching their shoulders.

"Ooh! What an honour! I can't believe it, I've finally met the famous Bladebreakers! I think I'm going to faint (!) Not." Said Tania, giving him a dirty look. "I don't think I'm gonna faint. Puke's more like it."

"Go ahead and puke then. Show's how **common** you are." Spat Tyson.

"Leave it now, Ty. Whilst you're ahead," advised Toni in a whisper.

"Aww, let your little girlfriend fight your battles for you, do you? How sweet!" said Tania, giving them a false, sickly smile. "See you around. Actually, let's hope not."

She walked off, and Ricardo gave that same smirk before following after her. It was obvious that he was wrapped around her little finger.

"Two pieces of trash. That's what they are." Said Ray, his eyes following them until they were out of sight.

"Let's hope that's not what you think of us," came another voice. But this time, it was a familiar one, and Tyson knew it straight away.

"Ozuma!" he said, his head turning around to see Ozuma, Joseph and Dunga standing behind them. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Well, we were in town, and we were going to speak to Mariam, but she's not at home. And we thought she might be here, but we found you lot instead, so here we are." Explained Joseph, shrugging.

"Yeah, you don't happen to know where Mariam is, do you?" Asked Dunga, his arms crossed as usual.

"She's in hospital. Not actually **in** hospital, but she's visiting a friend." Explained Salima.

"Long time since we last saw you. It was . . . the Battle Tower, right?" said Ozuma, looking at Salima, but then he turned to Toni. "Who's this?" he asked Tyson.

"Hello? I have got a tongue you know! You don't have to talk as though I'm not here!" she argued. "I'm Toni, and Mariam's visiting my sister. Who are you?"

"Ozuma, leader of the Saint Shields," he said. "And what're you doing hanging out with the World Champions?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said Toni, sticking her tongue out at them.

"Stop messing around, Toni. Guys, this is Toni LaVelle, she's my girlfriend." Said Tyson.

"OK, I'm confused now." Said Dunga, scratching his head.

"What's new?" Joseph asked, putting his hands on his hips, and ignoring the glare he got from the tall blonde boy.

"Well, we started Smithton late last year, and Toni was already there, and had been for a few years already, then she and Tyson started going out, and then in a twist of events Kai came back from Russia, joined Smithton, made friends with Cassidy, who was long lost best friends with Kelly who turns out to be Toni's sister." Explained Kenny, talking quite fast.

"Let's just pretend you understood all that," laughed Joseph to Dunga, who gave him yet another glare.

"So, what's your sister doing in hospital?" Asked Ozuma.

"Well, she fainted yesterday at Cassidy's, and cut herself on a glass shelf," explained Toni, standing up. "I'm gonna go see her in a bit, anyone's welcome to come along. I just gotta pop home for a minute, get some stuff for Kel. So, is anyone coming?"

"Nah, I just wanna sit down for a bit. Those hospital beds weren't half itchy," came yet another voice. Everyone spun around again, and standing there was Kelly, Max, Amber, Hilary, Mariah, Mariam, Emily and Cassidy. When Matt had come to pick them up, they asked him if they would drop them off near the park. He agreed, but there was a bit of a dilemma at first, as the people carrier would've only got eight people in, not nine, but Max said that someone could sit on his lap, and Kelly said she would. Matt didn't like the idea at first, but that was the only way to get around the problem.

"You're out already? I thought you probably wouldn't come out until tomorrow!" Toni gaped.

"Yeah, well tough luck. I'm back, but the doctor said I gotta take it easy for a bit. It was actually Hilary's dad, so he gave me special treatment," Kelly grinned. She saw everyone looking at her belly and hand. Kelly was wearing a pair of crop hipster cargo jeans and a black and white halter neck top, and a pair of black gloves with the fingers missing. "And they gave me these gloves. They said they're very stylish and will stop any infection, so I win both ways!"

"Hey, guys. These are my friends, Cassidy, Kelly, Mariah, Emily, and Amber. You already know Hilary." Said Mariam.

The Saint Shields nodded at them, and then everyone sat down. There were the eighteen of them sitting around in the park, when a group of kids, about 10 or 11, started gathering around and whispering. But whenever one of the eighteen looked over at the kids, they all pretended like they were discussing Beyblading and different strategies.

"Listen kids, it's nice that you take an interest in blading, but we'd prefer it if you wouldn't keep staring at us." Sighed Zeo. "I used to be like just like you, but I never got anywhere hoping. I had to get out there and do it."

The kids all looked at each other, each of them expecting the other to do something. Finally, a girl stepped forward from the back of the group, trembling slightly, and not seeing Amber there. Amber let out a groan.

"What do you want?" she asked, obviously not wanting the little girl there, and the girl stopped shaking when she heard Amber's voice.

"Hey, Amber. Leave her alone, she's only a kid." Said Ray, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"That's not just a kid. That's my sister, Molly. Don't tell me mom told you to come bug me," Amber said, turning to the girl. She had raven black hair, which fell completely straight, and right down to her lower back. But she had the same orange eyes as Amber.

"No, I was hanging out with my friends. My friends are a lot cooler than yours," insisted Molly, whose eyes were lined with kohl. Her face had been powdered white, and in her ears were black, spiky earrings.

"Whatever. Somehow I don't think your friends are World Champions. And does mom know you're out looking like that?" Amber said, looking her little sister up and down.

"Yeah, of course she does. And I don't know what you're looking like that at me for, because it's called style. Something you don't know much about. And so what if your friends are World Champions? You don't have to be the best to enjoy it." Molly said.

"Very true, Molly. As long as you have a good time when you blade, nothing else matters. But I really don't think you should be wearing that amount of make-up, especially at your age." Advised Kenny.

"Don't tell me what to do," said Molly, pointing at Kenny; her nervousness had definitely gone.

Kenny just shrugged, and leant against the wall behind him.

"I think you look nice. I'm guessing you're a true Goth then?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. It's definitely the best style around. And I'm glad somebody approves of it," said Molly, looking meaningfully at her sister, who just rolled her eyes.

"So, do you blade?" Asked Emily, clicking her fingers.

"Nah. I had a go with one once, but I thought it was a waste of time really." Molly said, shrugging.

"Just because you lost against me. You hoped that I would lose so Julekoy would go to you. Just shows that you're a sore loser." Amber said. "Now bog off. If you don't like blading I dunno what you're doing here."

Molly just turned on her heel and left, not saying another word. Her friends pondered whether to go after her or not.

"Erm, can we have your autograph, please?" one of the boys asked.

"Yeah, sure." Said Tyson, always happy to be in the spotlight. A few of the kids handed Tyson little notebooks and pens, while some of them just held out their hand.

"Er, I don't think I'll do it on your hands." Said Tyson, pushing their hands away. "If you want, you can always go to my Grampa's Martial Arts lessons, and ask him if you can have my autograph. He'll tell me when I get back, and then when you come for your next lesson, I'll give them to you then, OK?" Tyson said, and many of the kids were nodding their heads vigorously.

Tyson finished signing autographs, and then passed the books onto everyone else. The rest of the Bladebreakers signed, even Kai, and then the kids went home to ask their parents if they could go to Mr. Granger's Martial Arts lessons.

"Talking of blading, does this mean you won't be able to battle, Kelly?" Asked Max, looking over at her.

Kelly just shrugged. "Probably not just yet, cos it still hurts to hold anything, but I know I'll definitely battle again, hopefully sooner rather than later." She said.

"Yeah, well, we're thinking about battling Tania and Ricardo. They were dissing us earlier." Said Ray, his eyes narrowing.

"Tania and Ricardo? Who are they?" asked Hilary, giving them a questioning look.

"They're very experienced bladers, and have formed a bit of a reputation for themselves. Everyone knows they are extremely good, and neither of them have lost before. We're hoping that we'll make them lose their pride." Said Kenny, typing once again.

Kenny clicked his Bit-Searcher into place, and set it on free find. It would find any bit beasts that were in a certain distance, which Kenny had set to 100sqm. After a few seconds, several screens appeared. There were separate screens for each bit beast, and Dizzi calculated that there were 16 bit beasts around, and reeled off the names: Dragoon, Dranzer, Driger, Draciel, Crysticle, Draleen, Julekoy, Flash Leopard, Vortex Ape, Vanishing Moot, Sharkrash, Galux, Trygator, Cerberus, Glacier and Fawn.

"Well, the first fourteen belong to us. Does that mean that Glacier and Fawn belong to Tania and Ricardo?" Asked Dunga.

"Well done, Muscle-Head!" said Joseph, and he started clapping, but when Dunga lifted his hand in a threatening manner, Joseph stopped immediately.

"Dizzi, can you try and get any secure information on them at all, please?" Asked Kenny, logging onto the Internet for Dizzi to surf.

"I know some stuff about them. Tania, Ricardo, Glacier and Fawn." Said Cassidy from the background.

Everyone turned to look straight at her.

"You do?" Everyone asked at once, and Kenny told Dizzi to hold the search for a minute.

"Yeah. What do you want to know?" Cassidy asked.

Everyone started firing random questions at her.

"Well, Tania comes from a rough background. Her parents were killed by a freak blizzard about two years ago, and she now lives in a flat by the lighthouse by the beach, but Ricardo has had a pretty normal life, and is still living with his parents. Glacier is the piranha bit beast of ice, and Fawn is the deer of fire. In Tania and Ricardo's case, opposites must definitely attract. Ricardo would be kind to anyone, but has the same attitude as Tania to keep her happy. He is known as a huge flirt, but always stays loyal to Tania. They've been blading since the sport was first introduced, and have been gaining power since. Tania got Glacier when her parents were killed, and Ricardo got Fawn at the same time. Because Tania and Ricardo are so close, Ricardo was also affected by Tania's parents' deaths, and got Fawn. Anything more questions?" Cassidy asked, taking a very deep and well-deserved breath.

"Just one. How do you know all this information?" Asked Kai, looking absolutely flabbergasted.

Cassidy shrugged. "I guess when you're kinda related to someone who's high up in organising events for a job, you find out things that don't help you in any way, apart from one occasion. I guess that one occasion is today. Oh, and Kelly used to keep me updated on stuff she found interesting when we were at Madame Luton's." She said, grinning.

Everyone then turned to look at Kelly, but Kelly was still staring straight at Cassidy.

"How can you remember that far back?! Even I can't, and I spent most of my life researching Beyblade stuff!" She said, mouth gaping open.

"Well, there's your answer." Said Kai, sounding very wise. "If Kelly used to keep Cass updated, then Cass would remember, but it would be harder for Kelly if she would check out different information each day."

"Yeah, but I still can't believe you can remember that much when it was that far away." Kelly said, still shocked.

"Well, there is another reason why . . . nah, it's alright." Said Cassidy, shaking her head, and trying to smile, but everyone could tell it was false.

"No, go on. Please?" Asked Salima, biting her lip.

"OK. When we were at Madame Luton's, we all had a bedside cabinet, and we were allowed just one photo on it. On mine was . . . a picture of my parents on their wedding day. It was just paper, a black and white photo, and it had no frame; I'd just left it freely on the top. One day, Kelly came rushing in to tell me about some information she'd found out about two bladers, Tania and Ricardo. She grabbed a pen and wrote down a website, the website that she'd found the information on. But it wasn't what the website was, it was where she wrote it. On the back of the photo. I knew Kelly hadn't done it on purpose, but I was so upset. The photo was really special to me, and I'd kept it in mint condition. And then, it was completely ruined. The pen Kelly had used went through the paper, and there were big black blobs on the photo side where the pen had gone through. The website is still there, and I've still got the photo." Cassidy said, looking sorrowful, and a silver tear slid down her face.

There was complete silence. No one knew what to say.

"I'm really sorry to ask you this, Cass, but I really need to look at that website." Kenny asked. Kai placed his hand on her shoulder, and Cassidy looked up at him. Her eyes sparkled in the light, but a few more tears dripped down.

Cassidy nodded. "I'll bring it into school on Tuesday, cos I've gotta find it out first. Guys, if you don't mind, I think I'll head home now." She said, and before waiting for any of them to say goodbye, she got up and tottered off.

"She will be OK, won't she?" Asked Mariah.

"I hope so." Was all Kelly could say. She couldn't promise anything.

After about five minutes of Cassidy walking home, two shadows appeared, one either side of her. Cassidy tried to pretend she hadn't noticed, but walked quicker all the same.

"Hey, kid! Wait up. We're only trying to see if you're OK." came a male voice.

Cassidy turned around, and saw two people about 5"10/11, one was a male, the one who had spoken, who was a bit taller, and the other was a female. The lad had reddish-brown hair and the girl had silvery hair.

"I'm fine. Can you just leave me alone please?" Cassidy said, trying to hide the sadness in her voice, but failing.

"Whatever. If you're happy I'd hate to see you when you're sad." Said the girl.

"If you really wanna know what's wrong, then it's because of Tania Sapphire and Ricardo Ashford! Because they started blading, the one and only photo I had of my parents together is ruined!" she said, tears rushing down her face, and her eyes gleaming even brighter than before.

"Hey, what did we do?" asked the male. "We've never even seen you, so how can we have done something wrong to you?"

"You mean, you're Tania and Ricardo?"

"Yeah. And I'd appreciate it, if you'd tell us what we've done wrong." Said Tania.

So, Cassidy explained the whole story again, but to Tania and Ricardo. They listened carefully, and when Cassidy reached the end of her story, they looked at one another, as if they were checking whether to believe her.

"Well, if it was your friend who wrote over the photo, wouldn't it be her fault and not ours? I mean, it's not like we wrote over it," said Ricardo.

"Yeah, but if she hadn't found out any information, especially information on you two, she wouldn't have needed to write on it, would she?" Said Cassidy, tears still gliding down her cheeks. "Now you know what's wrong, you can leave me alone." She said, and turned to carry on walking home.

"No, we can't. Now, we've found out what's wrong and it's our fault. We're gonna do something to help." Said Tania. Ricardo couldn't help feeling a bit shocked; it wasn't very often that Tania would offer to help someone. Tania saw the look on Ricardo's face. "Aren't we, Rick? We're going to help." Ricardo just shrugged as though he wasn't bothered.

"If you wanna help, you can leave me alone for now. I just wanna get home." Said Cassidy, and carried on walking.

"If what you've just told us is really true, meet us down on the beach, by the lighthouse. Tuesday – 4.00pm. If you don't show up, it's like you've admitted that you've lied about everything." Proposed Ricardo.

"See you Tuesday, then." was the last thing Cassidy said to them.

As she reached her house, she took a deep breath and tried to hurry in and just hide in the cover of her bedroom. But Matt spotted her from in the living room, and he called her over. Cassidy went in, and seeing her tear stained face, Matt automatically asked what was wrong, but she just shook her head.

"Not now, Matt. I just wanna go and lie down for a bit." She said, but it came out more of a whisper. Before Matt could answer, she walked slowly upstairs to her room.

She logged onto the Internet, and as Hotmail was her homepage and was signed in automatically, she found that she had quite a few emails. The most recent one was off Kelly.

Hey Cass,

You OK? I'm really sorry about what I did when we were in Madame Luton's, but you know what I was like. I guess I used to get a bit overexcited. I'm so sorry, I can sorta remember now, you had a real go at me, and wouldn't speak to me for days, but you forgave me. I wondered if you could forgive me again?

Love, Kelly.

P.S. When you left, Kai went really quiet, and then he left about 5 minutes after you. I think someone likes you!!

Cassidy just snorted. Someone like her? That would be the day. She shoved the email into a folder marked 'Kelly', and checked the others. One was a junk email, and another one was from Hotmail saying there was an upgrade available. Cassidy deleted them, but then she noticed one from a Mr. S. Dickinson. She opened it, and it said:

Dear Miss. Castana,

I am so pleased you got in contact with me. It sounds like you are a dedicated Beyblade fan. I'm sorry to tell you that I'm rather busy at the moment, and cannot give you further information about bit beasts. I can recommend to you a few people who are very experienced at the sport, and know about nearly all of the bit beasts in existence. Mr. Kai Hiwatari, leader of the Bladebreakers, Ms. Judy Tate, member of the BBA, and Mr. Kenny 'Chief' Havigama, the brains behind the Bladebreakers. Here are a few ways to contact any of them:

BBA Hotline: 0800 23925233 (BEYBLADE)

Judy Tate's email: J. Havigama's phone number: 0121 430 7681

Kenny Havigama's email: afraid that it is difficult to contact Kai Hiwatari at the moment, as he is in Russia and we have no way of getting in contact with him. You could ask the Bladebreakers if they have been in touch with him, and see if they could help you out. I tell you now, Kai Hiwatari isn't the most pleasant person to be around, but is the biggest 'know-it-all' I know.

Thank you for your interest, and I hope to hear from you again soon.

Mr. Stanley Dickinson.

P.S. Tell Matthew to get in touch with me as soon as possible. I need to talk to him urgently.

Cassidy shook herself out of confusion. Doesn't Mr. Dickinson know that Kai's back? She decided that her first choice to ask about bit beasts would be Judy, because if she asked Kai or Kenny, she would feel such a prat.

She picked up the phone in her room, and dialled 0800 23925233. It rang through, and someone answered.

?: Hello, this is the BBA Hotline, HQ America. James speaking.

Cassidy: Er, hi. I wonder if you could help me. Does a Judy Tate work there?

James: Judy Tate? Yes, she's the manager of this section. Who's calling?

Cassidy: It's Cassidy Castana. She doesn't know me, but I need to ask her a few questions.

James: OK. Hold please.

Cassidy sighed. She hated being put on hold, because it took too long and it had crap music. But this one was different. The music was actually 96.4 BRMB, and Nick was playing Toxic by Britney. Cassidy shouted down to Matt, just quickly telling him that Mr. Dickinson needed to speak to him.

Judy: Excuse me, did you just say Max?

Cassidy jumped. She hadn't realised that someone had picked up on the other end.

Cassidy: Erm, no. I was shouting to Matt. He's my foster-dad.

Judy: Sorry. I just keep thinking about Max . . . oh, he's my son.

Cassidy bit her lip. She had forgot that Judy was Max's mother. She decided to play along for a bit, so Judy would answer her questions and not just pretend that she had work to do. Cassidy had figured out a long time ago that if you call a hotline, try and get as friendly as possible with the caller on the other end. That way, they actually want to help you out.

Cassidy: It wouldn't happen to be Max Tate, would it? Who goes to Smithton High?

Judy: How did you know that?

Cassidy: He's one of my friends, much like the other Bladebreakers. I'm Cassidy Castana. I'm not sure if you know him, but I'm the foster-daughter of Matthew McAllister – one of the Major Events Organizers.

Judy: Yes, I know him quite well. He's been here enough times!

Cassidy: I know. He spends more time away than at home. I don't mind though. Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me out, because Mr. Dickinson recommended you to me.

Judy: Of course. What would you like to know?

Cassidy: About bit beasts. All of my friends blade, and most of them have bit beasts, which they're always talking about. I get confused and just pretend that I know what they're going on about, but I think that if I asked them, they'd laugh at me because I don't know what they are.

Judy: Right, I see where you're coming from. How about this, I'll send you as many leaflets as I can find in the office, and then you can read them over until you understand. Is that OK? I would tell you myself, but I'm a little bit busy.

Cassidy: Yeah! That'd be great!

Judy: Right, have you got an email address?

Cassidy: Yeah.

Judy: Well, send me an email, telling me your full name, phone number and address. Then, I'll send you the leaflets as soon as I can. But I apologise now for the amount of time that they may take to reach you, as we're in two different continents, let alone countries.

Cassidy: I don't mind. Thank you so much!

Judy: You're very welcome. Bye.

Cassidy: Bye!

Cassidy smiled to herself as she put the phone down. She quickly sent Judy an email with the information that she'd asked for, and logged off. Matt knocked on her door and came in.

"Hey, what was all that about?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Nothing. Oh, and by the way, did you hear me telling you that you've gotta talk to Mr. Dickinson as soon as you can?" she checked.

"Yep. I'll talk to him now. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Did everything go OK today?" he asked, trying to sound innocent, but it was obvious that he wanted to know what had happened.

"I suppose. Can you sort of leave me alone for a bit? I gotta finish off some English homework." Said Cassidy, and shooing him out of her bedroom.

When he'd left, Cassidy turned on her stereo, and put on her DJ Casper song on – Cha Cha Slide. It always helped her to think; even though it was a song she always wanted to dance to.

She found her English book out, and chewed on the lid of her pen, thinking what to write.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, at Smithton, Cassidy was sitting out on the front wall, waiting for any of her friends to arrive. It was nearly quarter to nine before they arrived, and they all came in one big group.

"Hey guys, where've you been? Have you seen the time?" Asked Cassidy, looking at her watch.

"Sorry, Amber had to show us something." Panted Mariah, and it was obvious they had all been running.

"And you think it's OK to just leave me out of it? 'Oh, don't worry about Cass, she won't mind because she can barely walk!' Do you know how long I've been here? I've been waiting for nearly twenty minutes!" Cassidy snapped. She knew it wasn't a good idea, but she couldn't stop herself. "Just because you lot blade or have something to do with blading, you separate yourselves from me. 'She's a cripple, she can't blade. We'll leave her out of everything we do!' Well, guess what? I'll show you. I'll show all of you!" And Cassidy hurried off to her form room. She hadn't meant to snap at them, but now she'd made a commitment. She'd decided to start blading, and she wouldn't give up.

Cassidy hardly spoke to anyone all day. Whenever someone came over to speak to her, she'd blank them out completely, or tell them out straight that she didn't want to talk to them. All through Science, Spanish, Maths, English and R.S, Cassidy never put her hand up once to answer a question, and never spoke to anyone on her table.

She pulled out a small notepad in each lesson (the pages were only A5), and was designing the best model of a Beyblade that she could. She knew that she needed a strong attack ring, but also a good defence. The weight disk needed to be light so it would move faster and have longer endurance, but heavy for a stronger attack. She messed around with different designs all day, and finally came to a decision in R.S. She folded the sketch neatly and put it in her pocket. She'd ask Matt when she got home if he could give her a lift into the town centre, and maybe help her to choose parts.

About five minutes before the bell rang, Cassidy gathered her stuff up and left. She didn't bother waiting for any of her friends today; she just hurried home to see Matt. When she got home, Matt was sitting at his laptop with papers surrounding him and his head in his hands.

"Matt, I don't suppose you'd do me a favour would you?" She asked, dumping her bag on the sofa.

"Does it have to be right now, Cass? I'm a bit busy," he said, indicating to all the paperwork and his laptop.

"Oh please, Matt! It's really important!" she pleaded.

"What is it, before I commit myself." He asked, putting his pencil behind his ear.

"Could you help me do some shopping?" she asked.

"Now that's a change. It's normally, 'No Matt, it's OK. I can do my own shopping.' What's so different today?" he wondered aloud.

"It's not clothes or shoe shopping. It's for . . . Beyblades. I thought maybe you could help me, cos you work a lot for Beyblading companies." She asked, adding the little comment on the end.

"Well, how come you haven't asked one of your friends? They all blade, don't they? I'm sure they'll be happy to help." He stated.

"No, Matt. I want you to help. Please?" she asked one last time, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"OK, OK. Fine. We'll go into town now. Get your money." He said, searching for his car keys under his paperwork.

"I'm way ahead of you," said Cassidy, smiling. In her hand was her purse and Matt's keys. He just laughed.

"Am I that predictable?" he laughed, but took his keys off Cassidy and they drove into town.

They reached the parking lot in no more than ten minutes, but it took them nearly that amount of time to find a space. They finally spotted one and pulled in before anyone else could pinch it. They got out and walked around the corner to the Hobby Shop, but Cassidy made sure it wasn't the one owned by Max's dad.

"So, what are we looking for, Cass? An already made blade? Or separate parts for you to make your own?" Matt asked, pointing at the different sections in the shop.

"Separate parts. I've got a design here," she said, and gave it to Matt. He smiled and nodded approvingly at it.

They wandered around for a while, looking at the different parts, and finally decided on which attack ring, defence ring, weight disk, and base they were going to have, and they were either yellow or white. Then she picked out a golden coloured launcher, and a practice Beystadium. They paid at the desk, and left the shop.

"You've got some nice parts there, Cass. And at not a bad price either." He said, as Cassidy rummaged in her bag.

"You will help me fit them together, won't you?" she asked, looking a bit worried.

"Try yourself first. You'll be amazed at what you an achieve." He said knowingly.

When they got home, Matt went into the kitchen to start their tea; Cassidy disappeared into her bedroom, and switched on her stereo, as per usual. This time though, she played one of her oldest CDs, but it was also one of her favourites. Where The Boys Are, by Connie Francis. Her mother always used to play it when she was feeling down, so Cassidy learnt to love it.

She emptied the contents of the bag onto the floor, and the parts spilt out everywhere. She gathered them all together and took them out of their packaging. She looked at them, and thought, 'Oh my God. I'll never be able to do this.' But she thought that she might as well have a go.

To her surprise, fixing it together wasn't that hard. She put the Beystadium on the floor, and slotted her new yellow and white blade into her launcher. She wasn't sure what to try, whether to think hard and concentrate, shout and encourage it.

She pulled the ripcord out as fast as she could. The blade shot out with great speed and spun around the dish extremely fast for a first time. A bright light shone in through Cassidy's window, and it temporarily blinded her. When her sight came back to her, a gold stallion with black hooves, a glossy white mane and tail, and orange eyes was standing in front of her. Cassidy went to scream, but no sound came out. She looked around, but there was nothing. Just black.

"I am Sunrise, the spirit of light. I have been summoned here by your strength, determination, and will to blade." came a voice. Cassidy started breathing quicker, and was getting freaked out. No one was there apart from the stallion. "Do not be afraid. I use telepathy to commerce with people and other spirits. To humans, spirits like myself are known as bit beasts. Your goodness and purity have also helped me find my way to you, as light is directed by innocence, and helped along by honour. You have plenty of all of these things. Therefore, I give myself to your command." And with that, the stallion, or Sunrise, faded away, and Cassidy found herself on her bedroom floor.

"What just happened?" she said aloud. She looked around, and saw her blade spinning solely in one space in the middle of the dish. And it was glowing a bright yellow.

Cassidy got up and slowly made her way over to her new blade. She put her hand over it, and it flew into her hand. Cassidy turned it over in her hand, and in the white bit-chip, was the golden stallion, Sunrise. She couldn't take her eyes off it; and when she finally did, she shouted at the top of her voice.

Matt came flying up into her room.

"What on Earth's happened? Are you OK?" he said frantically, panting.

"I'm fine, and look!" she squealed, holding the blade literally inches away from his face. "I got a bit beast! It's a gold stallion, and her name is Sunrise. She says she's the spirit of light. I wonder what attacks it's got?" she said, and turned the blade round, and looked at it again herself.

"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't try them out just yet. Do it tomorrow, outside somewhere. We don't want any room of this house messed up thank you very much. But then again," he said, looking around Cassidy's room. "I suppose it can't get much messier than this!" he joked.

"Matt!" cried Cassidy, giving him a playful punch on the arm, as Cassidy's room was quite tidy.

"OK, OK. But no battling with your bit beast in this house, please." He said, before turning around and starting to walk out the door. "Oh, and by the way, Cass, your tea'll be ready in about five minutes, so don't get too carried away. Make sure you do your homework too." He said, before going back into the kitchen.

"OK, I promise I won't use Sunrise in the house, and I promise I will be down for tea in a minute." She joked.

Cassidy smiled and bit her lip. She would show all of them. She'd challenge them, and win. 'Step before you leap." Cassidy thought to herself. 'If I challenge them to a battle without practising, I could end up losing and looking even more of a loser than I am now.'

Cassidy's phone started to ring. She couldn't ignore it, in case it was someone for Matt. She picked it up.

Cassidy: Hello?

Ray: Hiya, Cass. It's Ray.

Cassidy: I'm not speaking to you . . .

Cassidy went to put the phone down, but she could hear Ray shouting down the phone to her not to hang up.

Cassidy: Quick then. And don't you dare tell the others I spoke to you. What do you want?

Ray: I was wondering if you're OK. You didn't wait for us today. Well, Kai was having his detention from Ms. Woodward, but the rest of us were wondering where you were.

Cassidy: Yeah, well, I was busy. I had things to do.

Ray: This isn't because we were late to meet you this morning was it? We didn't mean to leave you out, it's just . . .

Cassidy: I don't care what it was. I'll beat all of you, one after the other! You think that cos I can barely walk it's OK to hurt my feelings? Well it's not! I'll rip your blade to shreds, and I'll walk away from it with victory!

And the line went dead. Cassidy had hung up. Ray just seemed to stare at the phone, as if Cassidy would just start talking again. He slowly put it down back onto the receiver, but picked it up again straight away, and phoned Tyson. He told him all about his short, but confusing conversation with Cassidy, but it was clear that Tyson wasn't paying attention.

Ray: Tyson!

Tyson: What?

Ray: Have you been paying attention?

Tyson: Yeah . . .

Ray: What have I just told you?

Tyson: Erm . . . something about Cass?

Ray: See? It was a waste of time phoning you, you know. Don't tell anyone that I told you I spoke to Cass, OK? I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?

There was a bit of a silence before Tyson finally answered.

Tyson: You what?

Ray: Forget it. See you.

Tyson: OK.

Ray groaned as he put the phone down again. That was a complete waste of time. He decided to think it over, and see if he could make any sense of what Cassidy had said to him.

Over at Kenny's house, he had updated his Bit-Searcher, and was trying to make a second proto-type. He was typing madly when Dizzi piped up.

"Hey Chief. Got some news for you," she said in her metallic voice.

"Not now, Dizzi. Can't you see I'm trying to make another one of these damn things?" he said, obviously annoyed. He kept on typing.

"No, Chief, I really think you'd like to know." She said.

"Quick then. What is it?"

"I've tracked down 2 new bit beasts that are in this area, but I can't pin exact locations. It's Sunrise, the beast of light, and Nightfall, the beast of darkness. Here, I'll put up what I know about them." Said Dizzi, and some information popped up on her screen.

Kenny scanned it quickly, but then looked shocked. He went back to the beginning and read it all through again.

"What's up Chief?" Dizzi asked.

"This can't be right! Where did you get this information Dizzi?" he asked, sounding worried.

"You inserted it. The date was . . . 05/02/04, but you didn't put where you got it from." She said, checking her database.

"Well, from what we've got here, it says that Sunrise and Nightfall are two of the most powerful bit beasts. The legend goes that at the beginning of time, there were two spirits, both stallions, one of light and one of darkness. They both worked together to keep the world peaceful, but couldn't agree on something. They separated, and have never been located again. If our information is right Dizzi, we could've made a huge discovery here." He said.

"I'll scan for this legend," said Dizzi, and searched for any sign of such a legend. She found one thing, but it wasn't very stable, so it kept crashing. Dizzi scanned for any viruses, and she found that it had quite a dangerous one. It could crash the hard drive easily, and it could be very hard to delete if you didn't have the right know-how.

"Get rid of it Dizzi. We'll find out about Sunrise and Nightfall some other way." Kenny instructed, typing instructions to her to delete it.

Dizzi successfully deleted it, and then had an idea. "Hey Chief, how about we talk to Kelly? She said she was always looking at new information on blades and bit beasts." She suggested.

"Good idea, Dizzi. Keep searching, and see if you find anything new, while I phone Kelly." Said Kenny. His parents had bought him a headset, so it would be easier for him to do multiple tasks, so he slid it on, and dialled Kelly's number.

Kelly: Hello?

Kenny: Hi, Kelly. Kenny here.

Kelly: Oh, hey Chief. What's up?

Kenny: I was thinking about what you said to us the other day. You said that you were always researching new blades and stuff, yeah?

Kelly: Oh, yeah! I'd be in the computer suite for ages, using different computers for stuff.

Kenny: Well, I was wondering if you had any information on 2 certain bit beasts. Called Sunrise and Nightfall, a spirit of light and a spirit of darkness. And do you have anything on the Legend of Light and Darkness?

Kelly: Erm, let's think. Wait there a minute; I saved some stuff onto a floppy.

Kelly opened a tub filled with different floppy discs in. There were different coloured ones, with labels all over them. She flicked through them until she found a light blue one, with a yellow label on saying 'Legends'.

She shoved it into the drive, and opened 'My Computer'. She clicked on 3½ Floppy A:, and several word documents and Internet connections came up. She scanned through them for anything to do with Light and Darkness, and one came up, actually named 'The Legend of Light and Darkness'. She opened it, and quickly sped read through it.

Kelly: Hey, Chief, I've got this one thing. Do you want me to email it to you? Cos it would take me forever to read it out to you.

Kenny: Yeah that's fine. Could you do it straight away?

Kelly: Doing it now.

Kelly sent the word document to Kenny's email address, and said goodbye to him on the phone.

"Right Dizzi. We've got an incoming email from Kelly. Open it as soon as possible, and then get in contact with Mr. Dickinson." Ordered Kenny. "I think he'll need to know about this."

"OK, Chief." Said Dizzi, and waited for the email to turn up.

Back at Cassidy's place, she had eaten her tea and was now practising her technique, but couldn't decide whether to use Sunrise's attack, defence or speed to her advantage. It would be too difficult and advanced to try and use two or even all three of them, so Cassidy was trying out different methods.

"Let it rip!" she cried, pulling out the ripcord. Each time Sunrise shot into the dish, it glowed a bright yellow, which gave Cassidy inner-strength.

After ages of practising, Cassidy decided that Sunrise would be best for attack, then speed, and then defence, as that was it's weakest point. She hadn't actually called on Sunrise yet, as she'd promised Matt she wouldn't release her bit beast in the house. She'd practise more tomorrow, after she'd spoke to Tania and Ricardo.

Cassidy groaned, because she remembered that she had promised Kenny that he could have a look at the photo of her parents. She knew exactly where it was though – under her pillow. Normally, Cassidy would have forbidden anyone to even look at it, but she knew it was important.

'No, wait a minute.' She thought to herself as she pulled the photo out from under her pillow. 'Tania and Ricardo said they'd help me, so I wonder if they'd speak to my friends so I wouldn't have to show them my photo? All Kenny wants is some information on them, so why would they mind about that?' Cassidy just shrugged to herself, and stared at the photo for a bit longer, before kissing it gently, and sliding it back under her pillow.

The next day, Cassidy took her blade into school, but didn't actually plan on telling anyone that she had a blade, let alone a bit beast. She kept it hidden in her bag, along with her launcher.

In registration, Kai kept trying to talk to her, but Cassidy pretended she wasn't listening. She was really, because she wanted to know what he had to say for himself.

"Look Cass, it's not really that big a deal. We were late to meet you one day. Friends are always late, you should know that." He said, leaning across the aisle towards her seat.

"Well you wanna know what? You guys are the first real friends I've had. Kelly was my one friend at our old school, and she was never late, because she was always in that computer suite. If I ever had to talk to her, or her to me, we'd be able to find each other straight away. I thought that I had made some real friends." She said, putting real meaning onto the 's' at the end of friends.

Cassidy didn't say anything else to him, and as she gathered her stuff up towards the end of registration, her blade and launcher fell out of her bag. Cassidy gasped slightly, and Kai just stared at it, and then at the bit-chip. He could always see bit beasts from quite a distance away, but this one . . . something made him concentrate on it. He could see the bright gold stallion on there, and knew which beast it was straight away.

"Why didn't you tell me, Cass?" he gasped, still staring at the yellow and white blade.

"I've gotta go." She said bluntly, shoving the launcher back into her bag, but slipped her blade into her pocket.

When Cassidy had left the class, Kai shoved his stuff into his own bag, went up to Ms. Dabner and told her that he felt ill. She told him to go and see the nurse, so Kai nodded and walked out of class.

"Faker!" whispered Tessa as he went past, but Kai just stuck his middle finger up at her.

He left the classroom but instead of turning left to the nurse's office, he went right, and stood outside two classrooms, Room 8 and Room 9. A minute later, the bell rang and people came rushing out of classrooms, including Tyson. Kai grabbed hold of his sleeve and pulled him back.

"Hey!" cried Tyson, not knowing who it was.

"Shut your gob." He said, and as the others came out, he beckoned for them all to come over.

"I'm glad you're all here. Especially you Kai." Said Kenny, opening his laptop. "I was working last night, trying to make another Bit-Searcher, when Dizzi told me she'd located 2 new beasts in the area. Take a look." He said, and he showed Dizzi's plasma screen to Kai.

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you lot about." Kai said, after he'd quickly read through the information.

"All of us? Why all of us? And what about Amber and Cass?" said Mariah.

"Well, I'm here now!" panted Amber, running up behind them. "I was gonna come and meet you all here anyway."

"And that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Cass." Kai stated.

"I thought . . ." Toni started. "Didn't you just say you wanted to talk to us about the new bit beast?"

"I'm confused too," said Kelly.

Kai groaned. It was obvious this lot couldn't put two and two together.

"No way!" Tyson burst in.

Kai was amazed. The last person he thought would get it is the only one who actually understands.

"You mean Cass is a bit beast?" Tyson gaped.

Or not. Tyson was the only person he knew who would put two and two together, but get five.

"No! Don't be such a dumb-ass Tyson." Kai said, shaking his head.

"Hey!" pouted Tyson and Toni.

"Just shut up and listen will you?" Kai said, getting impatient and tapping his foot. "First things first. Do any of you know about the 'Legend of Light and Darkness'?"

Everyone glanced at each other as though Kai was crazy, before they all shook their heads. Apart from Kenny.

"Well, it's been told that that at the dawn of time, there were two spirits - stallions, one of light and one of darkness. They both worked together to keep the world peaceful, but there was one thing they couldn't agree on. No one knows what it was, but the two stallions, Sunrise and Nightfall, separated, and have never been seen again. Does everyone get that so far?" he asked.

Everyone nodded obediently, so Kai carried on.

"I was trying to talk to Cass in registration, but she ignored me. When she was getting her stuff together to leave, cos you know she always leaves before the bell rings so people don't push her out of the way, something fell out of her bag. A golden launcher and a yellow and white Beyblade, with a golden stallion on the bit-chip." He said, looking to see each of their reactions.

Everyone had more or less the same look on their face. Shock. Wonder. Amazement. Then everyone started talking quickly, asking questions like 'How come Cass is blading?' and 'How come she never told us?'. But Kelly's face showed just one emotion – disbelief.

"So you're saying . . . that one of the most powerful bit beasts in the world . . . belongs to Cass?" Said Kelly, blinking quite a lot.

"Well, yeah. I got a closer look at her Beyblade, and on her white bit-chip was definitely Sunrise." Said Kai.

"So that's what Cass meant!" interrupted Ray, but seeing the look on their faces, he explained it a bit further. "Last night, I phoned Cass, but she was about to hang up on me. I shouted to her to just talk to me for at least a minute, so she did. I could tell she didn't really want to though. Anyway, she said something about ripping my blade to shreds, and leaving with victory."

"Yeah, well it won't be a very triumphant victory if she can't control Sunrise," said Kai. "Sunrise is one of the most powerful beasts, and it takes a lot to control any every day bit beast, right? Well, multiply your own bit beasts' power by 3, and then try and control it properly. You think that'd be hard, well we've all bonded with our bit beasts, and Cass has only just got hers, so we better make sure she can control it, otherwise she might get hurt badly." he said.

"And the other bit beast, Nightfall, is still out there. We can't get Sunrise and Nightfall into a Beybattle, otherwise it would mean **big** trouble." Said Kenny. "When the two bit beasts couldn't agree on something, they hated each other. If they get into a Beybattle, they'll keep on fighting until one is crushed. Literally."

Kai quickly checked his watch. It was nearly 9.10am, and their English lesson started at 9.00am.

"Right, we'll chat later, but right now I'm in so much trouble. I'll catch you all later, by the tree." Said Kai, before rushing off.

Everyone else followed suit and rushed to their English lessons.

As Kai reached his English lesson, he took a deep breath. He really didn't feel like having to put up with Ms. Woodward today, but had no choice. He opened the door and everyone turned to look at him, and Ms. Woodward was seething.

"Mr. Hiwatari! Where have you been! It's ten past nine, and in case you haven't noticed, 1st period starts at 9.00! Detention for you, tomorrow." She screeched.

"But Ms. Woodward, I went to see the nurse. I haven't got a note because she was too busy and there were lots of other students waiting, and you can ask my form tutor, Ms. Dabner if you don't believe me, because she sent me. So I'm sorry to say I cannot attend your detention tomorrow, because you have no good reason." He said, and sat down.

"Well I shall be speaking to your form tutor about your attitude, my boy, not your health. It seems to me that you're far too cocky, but I'm giving you one more chance. Is that understood?" she asked, her nose pointing high in the air.

"Yes, Ms. Woodward." He recited. It was like being back in Primary School.


	11. Chapter 11

Cassidy rushed out of school as soon as she could. She wanted to get the meeting with Tania and Ricardo over and done with as soon as possible, so she could get some real training done. She'd planned it all perfectly. She gave about five or ten minutes with Tania and Ricardo, and then she'd have until 5.00pm to practise, then go home and talk to Matt and have some tea, and then do homework, and then small practise in her bedroom. But her schedule went badly off time.

As she reached the lighthouse, she saw Tania and Ricardo already there. She strode over to them, and was determined that she wouldn't cry.

"So, what you said the other day was true?" said Ricardo. It wasn't a question, but more of a statement.

"What? You still think I made the whole thing up? Well, for your information, my so-called friends have left me out. But I'm gonna show them." Said Cassidy, taking a deep breath to stop herself from crying.

"Right, so first, tell us who you are and who your friends are." Said Tania, taking a seat on the low wall that ran all around the lighthouse.

"Why? I thought you said you were gonna help me. I don't see how knowing who my friends are will help you help me." Said Cassidy, feeling confused.

"Yeah, well to help you, first we'll sort out you and your friends, help you make up with them, and then help you some other way. Not sure how yet, but we will." Said Ricardo.

"Erm, OK. I'm Cassidy, but everyone calls me Cass. There's the Bladebreakers, Kelly, Toni, Amber, Mariah, Mariam, Emily, Salima and Hilary. At school, we normally hang out under the tree by the fields. It's been nicknamed the 'Bladebreakers tree'." Said Cassidy, counting her friends off on her fingers.

"Right. We'll talk to them tomorrow, right Rick?" said Tania, raising an eyebrow.

"Tell me this. Were the Bladebreakers in the park a few minutes before we met you on Sunday?" wondered Ricardo.

"Yeah. I'd been at the hospital with Kelly, but then we met up with them there. Four of them haven't got anything to do with it though. Zeo, Ozuma, Dunga and Joseph. They don't go to Smithton, and I don't know them that well anyway."

"So, they should be under the 'Bladebreakers tree' tomorrow, yeah?" checked Tania.

"Yeah. But don't tell them you came to sort things out with me. Say something about they've been treating people differently, OK?" Cassidy told them, biting her lip.

"You got it. Anything else you want help with?" Asked Ricardo, slipping his hands in his pockets.

"Erm, yeah actually. Could you give me some hints on . . . Beyblading? Please?" Said Cassidy, putting her hands together in a pleading position.

Tania and Ricardo looked at each other. Why would she want blading tips? It was very unusual for someone to ask them for tips, when they were expert bladers.

"And why should we give you hints?" asked Tania, putting her hands on her hips.

"Give the girl a chance, Tan. Let her show us what she's got." Said Ricardo. "Go on then. Show us, and then we'll decide." Tania grinned, and went inside the lighthouse to get a stadium. She came back out about two minutes later with a big blue Beystadium.

Cassidy closed her eyes tight. She really didn't want to show them yet, because she knew she wasn't good enough. If she backed down now though, she would probably never get another chance. She took her bag off of her back and put it on the wall, and then she put one of her crutches there too. She opened it and took out her launcher, and then took her blade out of her pocket. She slotted it into place, and stood at the side of the dish.

"Let it rip!" she cried, pulling her ripcord out as fast as she could. Again, like the day before, her white and yellow Beyblade shot out and spun around the dish, and started glowing bright yellow.

Tania and Ricardo both looked carefully at Cassidy's blade as it shone. You could tell they were inspecting it closely. Tania nudged Ricardo and whispered something to him. Ricardo nodded.

"Hey kid. Show us your bit beast." Ricardo instructed.

"Who says I've got a bit beast?" said Cassidy, trying to sound innocent.

"Don't mess us around, and stop stalling. Call your bit beast out, we know it's there." Said Tania, shaking her head.

Cassidy took a deep breath. This would be the first time of calling on Sunrise, as when she first saw her, it wasn't because Cassidy had called on her, but because of her inner-strength.

"Sunrise!" Called Cassidy, hoping and praying that she would appear. The fates were with her, as Sunrise pranced out of Cassidy's white bit-chip. Her white mane and tail sparkled as the light caught them, and her orange eyes glinted.

Tania and Ricardo looked at each other again, and smiled. This was one powerful beast.

"Can you give me some hints now, please?" asked Cassidy, as Sunrise danced gracefully around her.

"It looks to me like you don't need any hints. Take a look. You've already managed to control it. You managed to get your bit beast to come out on command, and is now staying by your side loyally." Said Tania, smiling.

"You mean . . . but what about Sunrise's attacks? Don't I need to help her improve them?" Asked Cassidy, shaking her head, not believing that Tania had just said that she could already control it. And she'd only called on Sunrise once.

"By the look of it, she looks powerful enough to me. But if you really want to strengthen her attacks, you might wanna check out Sunrise's history. You see, each bit beast has a different history and grew up in different places. If you can recreate this place, then Sunrise will want to improve, so it will make it easier." Explained Ricardo.

"That's it?" asked Cassidy, feeling a bit disappointed that was the only help she had got.

"What did you expect? For us to give away all of our Beyblading techniques? I don't think so." Said Tania, shaking her head.

"Sorry. I guess I thought I was gonna get more help than that. It doesn't matter though, thanks." Said Cassidy, smiling slightly. She held her hand out over the Beystadium, and Sunrise flew obediently into it.

Nine kids flew down the beach and hid behind the water sports hut. It was the Bladebreakers, Toni, Kelly, Amber and another kid. He had short, dark brown hair that he had spiked down over his head and blue eyes, and was wearing a red t-shirt under a white jacket, and artfully ripped jeans. A pair of black trainers fitted snugly on his feet.

"So Amber, explain to me again who this is and what he's doing here?" blinked Toni.

"Again? I already told you twice!" moaned Amber.

"Look, I'm Danny, and I used to hang out with Blake and Amber. When Amber left Blake and started hanging out with you lot, I left Blake to hang around with Amber, but she still wants to hang around with you, so here I am." Explained the new kid.

"Oh. OK," said Toni, grinning.

"Will you lot shut up? You'll be no good in choosing spying as a career." Said Ray. "Do you even remember why we're here?"

"Not really." Admitted Toni.

"God, your memory is still as bad as it was when I left!" cried Kelly.

"Guys! If you're gonna talk, whisper!" murmured Kenny. "We're here to check that Cassidy is OK and is learning to control Sunrise."

"Oh yeah!" Nodded Toni, and mimed zipping her mouth up.

They all watched carefully, but couldn't hear what Cassidy was saying to two people.

"Can anyone see who Cass is actually talking to?" asked Kenny, readjusting his glasses.

Everyone mumbled no's, apart from Danny.

"Yeah. One girl with silver hair, and one lad with reddy brown hair." He stated.

Everyone else looked at each other and exchanged knowing looks, whereas Danny just looked completely confused.

"That's Tania and Ricardo. I'll fill you in later, but right now, we need to keep Cassidy from talking to them. She'll only get herself into trouble." Said Amber. "On three we go in. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3!" she cried, and all of them flew out from behind the water sports and ran forward, holding their launchers out in front of them.

Cassidy looked absolutely bedazzled. Out of nowhere shot eight of her friends and some new kid.

"Oh great. I try and make some new friends, see if they can help me make up with my old friends, but they've already replaced me. Then they try and stop me from making any new friends because I don't deserve friends. How thoughtful of you (!)" said Cassidy sarcastically.

Both Tania and Ricardo had pulled out their blades, and were ready for battle.

"So, these are you ex-friends, Cass? Doesn't look like much of a loss to me." Laughed Ricardo.

In her hand, Sunrise started glowing a bright gold, and in Danny's pocket a silver light shone out. Danny put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his black and silver Beyblade. The two lights that were emitted from the blades shot up into the sky and twirled around each other.

Everyone lowered their launchers and watched the two lights twirling, but it soon faded away from the sky. The two blades still glowed though.

"I didn't know you were a blader, Danny." Said Amber, staring at him.

"You never asked," he shrugged.

"Since he's a blader and he's hanging around with us, is Danny a VIP too?" Amber asked Tyson.

"Yeah, sure." Tyson said.

"Right, Cass, what're you doing with these guys? Do you even know who they are?" Asked Kai, changing the subject.

"I was just hanging out with some friends. Oh, what a surprise, my ex-friends are jealous. I would never have guessed." Said Cassidy, rolling her eyes. "And who are you?" she said, turning to Danny.

"Danny Jones, why? Who are you?"

"Cassidy Castana. It's always nice to know people who are just getting themselves into trouble, especially with the wrong people." Cassidy said, emphasizing the wrong.

"Come on, Cass. We didn't mean to leave you out, but it would've spoiled the surprise. Please forgive us. I promise you we've done something really nice for you, but we need to be your friend. Please?" asked Kelly, softly. She walked forward and stood next to Cassidy, who was looking at the Beyblade in her hand.

Cassidy could normally tell if someone was lying, and it seemed that there was no lie in what Kelly had just said. 'If I become friends with them all again, will we just forget all about this? Will I be made to forget about Sunrise?' Cassidy thought. She loved Beyblading, and she'd only been playing it for a day.

"Do you really wanna be my friend? I mean, are you sure you can accept I can never give up Beyblading?" asked Cassidy, biting her lip, and looking at everyone's facial expressions. They were all saying the same thing – we want you back.

"We would never ask you to." Said Kai, walking over to her, and putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah. Once you get a taste of Beyblading, you'll never give it up." Said Max, grinning.

"That's the wisest thing I've ever heard you say!" joked Kelly, but shouted "Kidding!" when he punched her playfully on the arm.

"So, are we friends again?" Asked Cassidy hopefully.

"Of course. We never wanted to lose your friendship in the first place." Said Amber.

Danny looked around at everyone. He felt like the odd one out, so decided to make a joke out of it.

"Well, I'd probably say some sentimental junk too, but I don't even know who you are really." Said Danny.

"Whatever. See you around, Cass. It's been cool, but I'd rather die than be seen with these losers." Said Tania, looking over at the Bladebreakers. Ricardo laughed, and they both went into the lighthouse.

Cassidy just laughed too. It would be a miracle the day that Tania and Ricardo were mates with the Bladebreakers. She'd won both ways, and got a little bit extra. She'd got her friends back and made some new friends, but also got her own blade.

Cassidy put her launcher in her pocket with her blade, and slid her bag back onto her back, and they walked slowly along the beach, chatting and getting to know Danny better. It turned out that he had a crush on Amber, but just liked being friends.

"It's better being a free man, cos then you get to flirt with all the girls." He laughed.

"Trust you, Dan. That's definitely you." Said Amber, rolling her eyes.

But even still, Cassidy was still quiet. She was happy being back with her friends, but she wanted to practise. Alone. That way, if she messed up they wouldn't laugh at her.

Kai knew there was something up with Cassidy. He could feel it. He wanted to ask, but held back in case it was something personal. As they carried on walking and reached a Beystadium that had been built into the ground, he couldn't wait any longer.

"Hey, Cass. Wanna battle?" he asked, holding Dranzer up.

"Erm, I dunno. I'm not very good." She said, shaking her head.

"Awww, come on. You can't back out of a challenge," he said teasingly.

"Erm, OK then. Don't say I didn't tell you I'm no good, though." She said hesitantly, pulling out her launcher and blade.

Kai went and stood around the opposite side of the dish, and Cassidy held her launcher over the dish.

"And in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . LET IT RIP!" cried Tyson, trying to imitate DJ Jazzman.

Both Kai and Cassidy pulled their ripcords, and like always, Sunrise started glowing yellow. The two blades circled each other, like in a sumo-wrestling match. Kai's blue blade shot forward, attacking viciously, but Sunrise blocked his attack.

"What . . .?" said Kai, amazed that a rookie could've blocked that attack.

Cassidy was just as amazed. She hadn't told Sunrise to do, but she had done exactly what Cassidy was thinking. 'Of course!' she realised. 'Sunrise uses telepathy. She can read my mind. I can use this as an advantage.'

"Dranzer! Take out this rookie!" Kai commanded.

"A rookie, am I? Well, that's what I thought, but guess what? I think differently now. Sunrise!" Summoned Cassidy.

Both Dranzer and Sunrise appeared out of their bit-chips, and like before, Sunrise pranced around Cassidy, as though protecting her. Everyone gazed at Sunrise's beauty, and didn't notice that once again in Danny's pocket, a silver light shone out.

"Flame Sabre!" cried Kai, pointing forward at Sunrise.

'Bubble Shower,' came a soft voice, but it came as a thought in Cassidy's mind. She didn't know where it had come from at first, but then realised that it was Sunrise.

"Bubble Shower!" cried Cassidy, and Sunrise stopped prancing around and stood its ground.

Sunrise reared up and neighed loudly up at the sky. Big yellow bubbles started raining down around Sunrise, and as Dranzer shot out flaming feathers, they were turned to ash as these strange bubbles hit them.

"How . . .?" wondered Kai aloud.

"This is a Beybattle, not an interview. You don't ask questions during a battle, you should know that. Sunrise . . ." Cassidy hesitated. She didn't know what Sunrise's attacks were.

'Sunlit Glow or Crushing Blow,' came that same soft voice in her head. Cassidy silently thanked her.

"Sunlit Glow!" directed Cassidy, just as Kenny shouted, "No! Don't use . . ." But it was too late.

Danny's eyes lost all colour and turned black. He pulled out his launcher and slid in his blade, and pulled the ripcord straight away. The black and silver blade knocked Dranzer out of the battle, and then a black stallion with grey hooves, a glossy silver mane and tail, and deep blue eyes pranced out of its bit-chip. It charged at Sunrise, who used Bubble Shower again to block the attack. The black stallion ran straight into the bubbles, and it was threw back and paralysed.

Everyone tried to stop Danny, but it was like he was possessed.

"Sunrise, you need to get that blade out of the dish!" said Cassidy, panicking a bit.

Sunrise stopped Bubble Shower immediately and charged at the black stallion. It disappeared back into its bit-chip and the black and silver blade flew out and stopped spinning on the sand.

Danny's eyes returned to normal, and he collapsed on the sand. Cassidy held her hand out and her yellow and white blade returned to it.

Everyone rushed to Danny's side, and Amber took off her jacket and put it under his head.

"Two people fainting in under a week? Something about this isn't right." Said Amber.

"Well, this wasn't because of a medical reason, or something happened like it did to Kelly. This was supernatural," said Kenny.

Danny opened his eyes, but his sight was all blurred. He had to blink a few times to get his sight back properly. He saw everybody gathered around him and Amber's face right above his.

"Are you OK, Dan? What happened?" asked Amber, looking worried.

"I'm fine. But I was gonna ask you the same question. Tell me what I'm doing on the floor, please." He requested.

"Well, you interfered in our battle, knocked Dranzer out, and then went after Sunrise. Tell me what all that was about." Kai said, standing up; hands on his hips.

"Last thing I remember, I was watching you pair battle. Erm, last thing I heard was 'Sunlit Glow', I think. Then I was on the floor. As I still am." Danny said, standing up and brushing himself down. He picked up Amber's jacket and handed it back to her. "Thanks,"

Amber just smiled.

"I think I know what happened here." Said Dizzi, as Kenny opened his laptop.

"Enlighten us, Dizzi." Said Kenny, typing.

"Well, remember the legend we told you about this morning? Well, my guess is that in Danny's blade is Nightfall. When Sunrise and Nightfall fell out all those millions of years ago, they're still bitter rivals. At first though, they helped each other out, and have got the same sort of attacks. Sunrise has Sunlit Glow, Crushing Blow and Bubble Shower, whereas Nightfall has Twilight Glow, Crushing Blow and Thunder Shower. These attacks are more or less the same, and Twilight Glow and Sunlit Glow are linked. When one uses it, the other is automatically summoned. We need to figure out a way to unlink them, or at least weaken the link so it can be fought against, because otherwise we'll have this trouble over again." Explained Dizzi.

"So you're saying that unless we can weaken the link, either Danny or Cassidy will pass out?" asked Tyson.

"Well, if one of them uses Sunlit/Twilight Glow." Said Dizzi. "I think we've found our next project, Chief."

"So, we can't use the most powerful attack? What about if we're in **_real_** trouble?" Asked Cassidy.

"Of course you'd have to use it then. But only in real emergencies, not just battles that you want to win. Make sure you have to win, or escape or something. Only in emergencies, I can't express this enough." Said Kenny.

"So, what about the battle? Who won?" asked Kelly.

"It was a draw. We'll have another battle when we've figured out about this link, yeah Cass?" said Kai.

"You're on." Said Cassidy, grinning. She looked at her watch casually, thinking that it was only about 4.45pm, but had to look a second time. She thought that maybe her watch her stopped, so she asked everyone else if they had the time.

"Yeah, it's . . ." said Danny, pulling up his sleeve and looking at his digital watch. "5.45pm. Why?"

"Oh man! I'm so late! I'm supposed to be home at 5.10pm very latest! Today I was supposed to be back at 5.00pm. I am dead! D-E-A-D!" cried Cassidy, shoving her launcher and blade back into her pocket.

"Come back to my place, the 'rents will give you a lift. You might have to wait five minutes though." Offered Danny.

"I should be able to get home by then anyway, but thanks anyway. See you all at school tomorrow." Cassidy waved goodbye, and then hurried off.

Cassidy made for home as fast as she could, but having crutches didn't exactly help her. She couldn't go as fast as she could have, because her launcher and Beyblade kept falling out of her pocket if she went too fast. As she reached the end of her drive, she took a deep breath. She knew Matt would be going out of his mind. She walked up the drive and was just about o put her keys in the door when it swung open.

"Where the hell have you been?!" he fumed.

"Out with some mates, why?" she asked, not trying to sound innocent, but trying to sound as though it was perfectly normal.

"You know bloody well why! Cass, I don't mean to put your spirits down, but a girl who has to use crutches, and is out with just a couple of mates is an easy target for abductors and such like. I just worry for your safety." Matt said, trying to make Cassidy see it from his point of view.

"It's not like I was out on my own, or with one or two friends, I was with eleven people, Matt! But you think I can only make a few friends cos of my disability." Cassidy said, looking sideways. She didn't dare look him in the eyes.

"It's nothing like that, Cass! I worry because you're my only family!" he said.

"Well I haven't got any family! You act like my dad, when all you are is someone to make sure I don't die. If I go missing that's not your fault, only if you starve me to death or something, then it's your fault!" cried Cassidy, and she started rushing up into her bedroom, but Matt said something to make her stop.

"So that's all I am to you? Someone to stop you dying? So I guess you don't care that I love you. You don't care that I've always looked out for you and your best interests. You wouldn't care if I died? Is that it, Cass?" he asked.

"Of course not, Matt!" cried Cassidy, and she tried to rush back down the stairs. She tripped slightly, but Matt caught her at the bottom. "I didn't really mean any of that stuff I just said. I was just annoyed that you're so over-protective of me."

"I'm only over-protective because I get worried, just like any parent would if their kids weren't back when they were supposed to be." He said, looking meaningfully at Cassidy. She just smiled meekly.

"Yeah, well I do have to be home kinda early. Can't you extend my curfew a bit? Please?" Asked Cassidy. "Cos all my other friends don't have to be back until late." She added.

"OK, then. But you have to stick to it, OK? You can stay out until 5.30pm." he laughed.

"Matt!" Cassidy whined, and sighing afterwards.

"Just kidding. You have to be back by 6.30pm, though. You got it?" he asked, looking her in the eyes.

"I got it. But what I want right now is some food!" She said enthusiastically, and rubbed her stomach in hunger.

"OK, but we're gonna have to nip down to the chippy. Come on, you can come with me, otherwise I'll look greedy," he said. He grabbed his car keys from off the pin board in the kitchen, and the two of them set out to the local chip shop.


	12. Chapter 12

Over at the LaVelle's house, Toni was counting her spare Beyblade parts. She had over fifty parts all together, and most of them were attack rings. She had a big toolbox full of different size screwdrivers and such like, and a tray that sat on top of it where she kept her blade parts.

Toni was trying to find a way to strengthen her attack, but keep her speed and defence up. Until now, she could strengthen her attack but only if she lowered her defence or speed.

"God dammit!" she cursed, as she failed another go at her task.

"Hey, Tone," came Kelly's voice, as she opened Toni's bedroom door.

"Ever heard of knocking?" asked Toni, looking up from her work.

"Yeah. You go tap tap tap on the door. Waste of time. Anyway, what are you doing?" she asked, looking at all the Beyblade parts that were strewn around her.

"Trying to upgrade Crysticle, but it's not working. I need a way to up its attack, but keep defence and speed up too. So far, I can get a stronger attack, but only if I lower my defence or speed." She said.

"Good luck. Trust me, its hard to get one thing better without sacrificing another." She said, before walking back out of her room.

"Where are you going now? I thought you were coming to help me." Said Toni.

"You wish. I'm phoning Max if you must know." Kelly said.

As Kelly left and went into her own bedroom, Toni muttered "God, don't you speak to him enough at school?"

As Toni's blade fell apart once again, Toni groaned, put it back together the way it was before she started, and slotted it into place on her launcher. Toni's white blade glinted as it hit the light, and Toni grinned. 'As clean as always.' She thought.

She stood up next to the basic Beydish she kept by her desk. She pulled her ripcord, and the blade shot in. It spun around quite fast, but it was understandable that Toni didn't want to lose speed.

"Crysticle!" cried Toni, and a beautiful pure white stag with silver hooves, silver antlers with crystal icicles hanging off of them and shadow-grey eyes emerged from the sky blue bit-chip.

It stood majestically and proudly in front of Toni, and she grinned.

"Practise time, Crysticle. Crystal Light!" she cried. Crysticle filled Toni's room with a blinding white light. To the normal eye, it was impossible to see through, but Toni and Crysticle had trained themselves to see through it.

Toni threw a pencil up into the air, and shouted to Crysticle to break it in half. Crysticle nodded its head slightly, before leaping high into the air and snapping it in half easily with one jerk of its head.

"Toni! What have we told you about Beyblading with your bit beast in this house?" called Toni's parents. "Stop it right now!"

"Sorry!" she called down to them. "You heard them, Crysticle. Catch you later," she said to Crysticle, as though he was one of her actual friends.

Crysticle disappeared back into its bit-chip, and the blade flew back into Toni's hand. 'What's the point of trying to practise when you're not allowed?' Toni thought to herself.

She slipped Crysticle into her pocket, and she sat on her blue swivel chair. She logged onto MSN Messenger, and saw some of her friends from the Internet, like people she had met on chat-rooms or different sites, but she couldn't be bothered to talk to them at the moment. The person she really wanted to talk to was Tyson, but he was hardly ever on. He was most likely practising his technique, or having his Martial Arts lessons.

She sighed and decided she should do some of her Music homework. She was good at the subject, and was multi-talented, being able to play different instruments. She could play the keyboard, piano, guitar, recorder and a bit of the harmonica. But none of these would've helped her get out of a detention if she didn't do her homework.

At Tyson's place, he was being lectured by his Grampa. These were done on a weekly basis, which Tyson was quite glad of. It was better than having one each day. But today was different; he wasn't having the lecture on his own. Some of the kids he had met in the park a few days ago had signed up for weekly lessons. This meant that every Tuesday night, they had to go and join Tyson with his lessons, and then have a lecture at the end.

Amber's sister Molly had joined, but only to get some popularity. She was trying to hang around with some kids who were obviously well known, but was being blown out badly. Molly had also joined because she had a crush on Tyson, but she hadn't told anyone this, not even Amber.

Tyson could see she was getting ignored by some other kids, so he went over to talk to her.

"Hey Molly. What's up?" he asked.

"Not much. Apart from getting deffed out by some cool kids." She said, looking hopefully over at them.

These cool kids had been watching Tyson, as they all liked Beyblading, and because Tyson had become World Champion, he was like their role model. That was why they had started the lessons – to try and get to know Tyson. They saw him talking to Molly, and it was clear that he knew her.

They made their way over to Molly and Tyson, and were trying to get in with the conversation. Molly didn't care that they had been ignoring her at first, because to her popularity was everything. She talked to them as though they had been friends for ages.

"OK, catch you guys next week. If you wanna square off against me, I suggest you practise," said Tyson. He stood up and went into his bedroom, which was just off from the Dojo.

Molly's eyes followed Tyson into his bedroom, and said to her new friends that she needed to speak to the Master, who was Tyson's Grampa. She got up, but instead of going to see Tyson's Grampa, she made her way out of the Dojo, and went into Tyson's room.

Tyson turned around just as he was putting his blade into his launcher.

"Oh, hey Molly. Shouldn't you be in the Dojo?" he asked.

"Er . . . I don't think so." She said awkwardly. Tyson looked at her strangely, but just shrugged and released his blade.

Molly watched Tyson's blade closely, even though she hated the sport.

"I thought you said you didn't like Beyblading." Said Tyson, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't like it anymore than I like my sister, and I absolutely hate her. She acts all high and mighty. Remember? 'Somehow I don't think your friends are World Champions'. I don't care. At least I have more friends than she'll ever have." Smirked Molly.

Tyson didn't know what to say. He knew that it was nice to have a load of friends, but the way Molly talked about her friends it was as though they were just things to collect.

"How come you don't get along with Amber? Toni and Kelly are sisters and they get on really well." Stated Tyson.

"Yeah, well they're the same age, and there's a four year difference between us. Anyway, would you wanna get along with someone who stole your bit beast?" she said, hands on her hips.

"OK, now I'm confused. You just said you didn't like Beyblading, but you're mad at Amber because she stole your bit beast? You need a blade to have a bit beast." he said.

"Right. When I was 7, my mom and dad decided we were old enough to have responsibility for the family heirloom, which is Amber's bit beast, Julekoy. They said we had to have a battle to decide who was the better blader. Amber won, so she got to keep Julekoy, but it was unfair. I'd practised for days getting ready for this battle, and Amber didn't bother doing any at all. The only reason she won was because she was older and I wasn't very well, so I couldn't battle as hard as I wanted to." Explained Molly.

"So that's why you don't like Beyblading. Or Amber. The only thing I can say, Mol, is that the best blader always wins, whether you were ill or not. Think about it. Remember when I had to battle Tala in the first World Championships? I was so sure I'd lost, just because he had more bit beasts than me. But Dragoon and me pulled through. Watch. Dragoon!" summoned Tyson, and the blue dragon arose into Tyson's bedroom.

Molly watched, star-struck. She had watched Tyson's battles on TV, but that was nothing compared to this.

"Hey, little dudes. The rest of the homeys are waiting for you, you dig?" Came Tyson's Grampa's voice.

"Come on, we better go and see what he's talking about." Said Tyson. Dragoon disappeared back into his bit-chip, and Tyson put his blade on his bed. He went out of his room, and called to Molly to hurry up, else she'd have to do a forfeit. A forfeit was when you had to fight against one of the higher levelled members, which Molly was not ready for.

She glanced over at Tyson's blade, and it was tempting her. She looked at the door, and no one was there; Tyson had already gone back into the Dojo. She slipped it into her pocket, and exited quickly.

Over at Ray's house, the phone started to ring. Ray sighed and dragged himself up from the sofa. He'd been doing nothing but watching TV, even though there wasn't anything good on.

Ray: Ray here.

Tyson: Ray! Ohmygodyougottahelpme!

Tyson sounded a little frantic. Make that very frantic. He seemed even more worried than the time that they were late to a restaurant and Tyson thought they would've already closed the buffet table.

Ray: What's wrong? Tyson, slow down you're rambling.

Tyson: Dragoon's gone!

Ray fell silent. He didn't know what to say. Tyson would never say that Dragoon had gone unless he was really sure.

Ray: Are you sure? I mean, are you sure you didn't just leave it somewhere, like in your locker at school?

Tyson: I'm positive. I never even use my locker. What am I gonna do? He's gone, he's gone, he's gone!

Ray: Right. Think of the last time you saw Dragoon. You call Kenny and Max; I'll see if I can find Kai.

Tyson: Right. I'll ring you if anything comes up.

Ray: See you.

Ray put the phone down, and grabbed his mobile. He shoved it in his pocket and left the house. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he had to find Kai. He had to look anywhere for Kai, because he wasn't sure where he was staying.

His first guess was the B&B on the corner, but it had been closed down for refurbishments. 'Where are you Kai?' he thought. A faint call of 'let it rip' echoed throughout the street, but Ray couldn't decide whether it was all in his mind.

His mobile started ringing, and Ray looked at the screen to see who it was. It was Max.

Ray: Found Dragoon yet?

Max: Nope. We're on our way to Kenny's house, cos we tried ringing him but there was no answer.

Ray: Well, I've had no luck finding Kai. Do you have any idea where he could be?

Max: No clue. Gotta go now, catch you later, mate.

Ray: OK.

Ray pressed the end call button and pushed it back into his pocket. The 'let it rip' could be heard again, but this time it was louder. Ray recognised the voice. It was Kai, and he was getting closer.

But it was also getting darker. From around 6.30pm on the evening, it got darker, and it got pitch black extremely quickly.

'The park,' Ray thought suddenly. He ran down the road to the park, and sure enough, there was Kai. He was practising as per usual, but it was different to normal. There were twigs laid out across the ground making like a go-cart track, and Kai's blue blade was shooting around the course like there was no tomorrow.

"Kai!" cried Ray, running up to him. "Dragoon's gone. Tyson can't find him anywhere!"

"Are you sure?" he asked, and Dranzer flew back into his hand.

"Positive. Come on, we need to get to Chief's as soon as possible." Said Ray, and the two ran of to Kenny's house.

When they got there, they found Max and Tyson waiting outside. There were no lights on in Kenny's house, and the door was locked.

"Where is he when you need him?" Tyson groaned. He looked as white as a ghost, and he was sweating.

"Tyson, you need to calm down." Instructed Kai.

"Calm down?!" Tyson glared. "Calm down?! Would you calm down if Dranzer was stolen?!"

"If you remember Tyson, Dranzer has been taken from me. Twice. And I had no other choice but to calm down. Listen to me, where was the last time you can remember having him?" Kai said.

"Erm, down at the beach, I think."

"Are you sure you left with him? I mean, it could've been really easy to have just dropped him." Shrugged Max.

"I know I did. I'm sure of it." Tyson said.

"OK, so what did you do when you got back?" Ray asked.

"I got changed into my white kit and then had my Martial Arts lesson with Grampa." He said.

"Where did you leave Dragoon?" Max said.

"On my bed."

"Are you sure it hasn't just fallen off and rolled under the bed?" Kai asked.

"YES!" Shouted Tyson. It was clear that he was getting annoyed by the fact that everyone thought he was so careless.

"Maybe we should ring someone else to help the search." Suggested Kai. "We've run out of ideas."

"Ring someone who would know where Kenny is." Tyson snapped.

"Yeah, like who?"

"Dunno."

"How about Cassidy or Danny? They've got bit beasts who use telepathy, and can find Dragoon that way." Suggested Max.

"OK, ring her up." Said Tyson eagerly. He didn't care how he got Dragoon back, as long as he got him back soon.

Max dialled Cassidy's number, but Kelly answered.

Kelly: Hello?

Max: Kelly? Erm, have I rang the wrong number?

Kelly: You sounded just like some Chinese person then. No offence to Ray. No, this is Cass's place, but I answered it for her, cos she was just getting in the shower.

Max: Oh right. We've got a bit of a problem . . .

Kelly: What kind of problem?

Max: Oh nothing big. Apart from Dragoon being stolen.

Kelly: No way! Where is he?

Max: Well if we knew we wouldn't be phoning, would we?

Kelly: Oh yeah. Sorry.

Max: It's alright. Anyway, we didn't mean to disturb you. Oh, do you know where Kenny is?

Kelly: Yeah, he's downstairs talking to Cass's foster-dad, Matt.

Max: Tell him to get his arse down to his house now!

And he hung up. He didn't mean to do that, but it was so frustrating.

Kelly shouted to Cass that she'd be downstairs, and hopped down the stairs. She went into the living room and saw Kenny typing on his laptop and discussing something with Matt.

"Oh, hi Kelly. I was just registering the Bladebreakers in the upcoming tournament. You wanna register too?" Asked Kenny. "I'm trying to get a record of who's participating, so I can get some data on them before the tournament starts."

"Yeah, but not right now. We just had a phone call from the Bladebreakers. They're outside your house." Kelly said.

"What are they doing there?"

"Looking for you, Chief. Dragoon's been stolen." Kelly said, biting her lip.

"NO WAY!" said Kenny. He rummaged around in his bag for his Bit-  
Searcher, and when he found it, he clicked it into place. "Excuse me a moment, Mr. McAllister."

"That's fine. It sounds like you're in a bit of a pickle. Can I do anything to help?" he offered.

"No, we'll be OK thanks. Dizzi, search for Dragoon and give me co-ordinates." He instructed, typing madly on his keyboard. "Kelly, can you try and find Ozuma and the Saint Shields for me? Thanks." He said, without waiting for an answer.

Kelly shrugged and asked Matt if he could tell Cassidy where she was going, and that she'd see her tomorrow at school. Matt smiled and said he would, and Kelly grabbed her things and ran out of the house, to Mariam's place.

Kelly knocked on the front door, and Mariam opened it.

"Kelly, what are you doing here?" she started, but Kelly interrupted her, mid-flow.

"Mariam, you need to get Ozuma and Dunga, as fast as you can. Oh, and get Joseph down here too." Kelly panted. "Don't ask now, just get them here!" she ordered.

Mariam told Kelly to go and get herself a drink, and Mariam called upstairs to her little brother to come down, and then she quickly contacted the other Saint Shields, saying that she needed them round at her place urgently. In a matter of minutes, the Saint Shields were there.

"What is it? What's so important that it couldn't wait until morning?" Dunga said.

"I'm not sure. Kelly's got something to tell us." Mariam shrugged, and she pointed to Kelly, who had now got her breath back.

"Three words. Dragoon's been stolen." She said plainly.

"What?!" cried all four of them, but Ozuma was the loudest.

Ozuma shot back out the door, but Kelly shouted to him:

"Tyson's not home. He's waiting outside Kenny's place. It's above the sushi restaurant down the road. Tell him Kenny's working on it at Cass's place!"

Dunga, Joseph and Mariam soon followed, and Kelly went back home. She wanted to help, but there were already enough people on the job, so she'd only get in the way.

Back at Cassidy's place, Cassidy was looking over Kenny's shoulder at Dizzi's plasma screen. Kenny was having no luck finding Dragoon, because his Bit-Searcher proto-type wasn't working properly, and he'd left the original at home.

"Come on Dizzi. One last try and then we go and get the original." He said.

"Searching now," said Dizzi, and different bit beasts popped up then disappeared again. "I think we're getting it Chief, I can feel it. It's close. Pinpointing co-ordinates now. Got it! Co-ordinates are C, 08. Looking in the database for the owners, and the house belongs to . . . Rachel and Daniel Trinselle."

"Trinselle? Hey, that's Amber's last name!" realised Cassidy.

"Gotta go. See you tomorrow Cass!" Kenny called, and he ran out of the house and down the road to his own house. He saw Tyson, Max, Ray, Kai, Ozuma, Dunga, Joseph and Mariam all standing outside.

As he got nearer, they noticed him and started shouting at him, "Where have you been?"

"Finding where Dragoon is. I got a lock on it Tyson, but you won't like what you hear." Kenny said.

"I don't care. Whoever stole my Dragoon is dead meat!" he yelled.

"So, where is it Chief?" asked Max. Kenny sighed, before telling them quietly. There was no need to be quiet, but it was so shocking that he couldn't tell them out loud. He told them the address, but no one knew who lived there, so he told them out straight.

"Amber's house." Then there was silence.

"Who's Amber?" Asked Ozuma.

"Dead!" shouted Tyson, and he ran off towards the address Kenny had just told them. His face was no longer pale, but a raging crimson.

Kai, Ray, Max, Kenny, Ozuma, Joseph, Mariam and Dunga, all looked at each other. Ozuma, Joseph and Dunga exchanged 'Who the hell is Amber?' looks, whereas the others were in shock. Why would Amber steal Dragoon? She already had one bit beast, so why would she want another one?

"It couldn't have been Amber. Tyson said he left it on his bed, and Amber can't have got in without somebody noticing." Said Ray.

"Come on, we gotta stop Tyson before he does something he regrets." Said Ozuma.

They shook themselves out of their astonishment, and ran down the round after Tyson. But he was already at Amber's house, pounding furiously on the door.

"Give me back my Dragoon, Amber! I know you took it!" he shouted.

Inside the house, Amber was sitting in the living room watching TV, and all she could hear was a heavy hammering on the door, and someone shouting something. She couldn't make out what it was though, because her walls, doors and windows had been made soundproof. She got up and made her way to the door.

Molly gasped. There was only one person who would be this anxious this late. But how did they work out where Dragoon was so quickly? She ran into Amber's bedroom and shoved it on top of her computer. She ran out into her own bedroom, and then slammed the door shut. But she had her ear up against the door and was listening carefully.

Amber opened the door and was taken aback by Tyson's look. He grabbed her around the collar of her t-shirt and pushed his way into the house.

"Where's Dragoon?! I know you've got him! Give it back now, or else!" he shouted, pushing her against the wall.

"I haven't seen Dragoon! I swear, I haven't touched him! Last time I saw him was when we were on the beach, and I've been at home since then! I swear on Julekoy!" she said, panicking.

"Well you won't mind if I look around!" he said. He threw her onto the floor, and rushed up the stairs.

The rooms were neatly labelled with name plaques, so Tyson knew straight away which one was Amber's. He pushed the door open and his eyes scanned for any sign of Dragoon.

The other eight came flying into Amber's house, to see her sitting on the floor, breathing quickly.

"Amber, are you OK? What did he do?" Asked Ray, going over to her and kneeling down next to her.

"I'm alright. He barged his way in when I opened the door, and he says I've got Dragoon, but I swear I haven't even seen him!" she said, close to tears.

"Don't worry, we believe you. You don't know where Dragoon could be, do you?" he asked gently.

Amber shook her head.

"Where did he last see it?" she asked, wanting to help him find Dragoon.

"He left it on his bed, but then it disappeared. He went into his room after his Martial Arts lesson with his Grampa, and it wasn't there." Said Max.

A minute later, Tyson came flying down the stairs, shouting a mixture of things. He was glad because he'd found Dragoon on top of the computer, but he was angry because one of his friends had stolen it.

"Haven't seen him? Well what was this doing on your computer?" said Tyson, triumphantly.

Amber looked gob-smacked. "I swear, I didn't put it there! You've just gotta believe me . . . I mean, why would I steal Dragoon?"

"That's something we'd all like to know," said Ozuma, standing over Amber, who had tears sliding down her face.

"How could you Amber? I'd like to believe you, I really would, but how can I when the evidence is right there?" Ray said, shaking his head.

"You're no longer a member of the Bladebreaker VIPs. Have a good time at school." Said Tyson, and he walked out of the house.

Everyone looked at Amber, before leaving after Tyson. Ray still couldn't believe it. He left, and shut the door quietly after him.

Amber was still stunned. She hadn't touched Dragoon, so how could it have ended up in her room from Tyson's bedroom? She'd been taken away from her friends because of something she hadn't even done.

Then Amber clicked. Didn't Max say that it wasn't there after the Martial Arts lesson? Molly went to those lessons! Amber shot up and flew up the stairs, and went barging into Molly's room. Molly was sitting on her bed reading a magazine.

"You did it, didn't you?" said Amber, tears still dripping down her cheeks.

Molly smiled. "Yep."

"Do you realise you've lost me my friends?"

"Yep."

"And I can never go back to Blake?"

"Yep."

"YOU EVIL BITCH!" she cried, attacking Molly.

Molly screamed, as she got scratched, bit, kicked, punched and slapped. Amber wouldn't stop. The proper friends she'd had had got rid of her because of her lying, deceiving sister.

Their dad came shooting into the room and managed to pull Amber off Molly, but Amber was trying to get free and keep attacking her little sister.

"What's going on? I know you don't like each other, but you've never started a fight." He said.

"Ask her," said Molly, pointing at Amber. Molly wiped her mouth with her hand, and found blood. Amber had ripped part of Molly's lip, and it was bleeding quite freely.

"She cost me my friends!!" she shouted. "She stole something belonging to them and pinned it on me!" She broke free of her dad's grip and stormed off into her own bedroom.

She flopped on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. How could she face any of her friends? Everyone else would probably side with Tyson and the Bladebreakers. She was dreading the next day at school.


	13. Chapter 13

Amber got ready for school the next morning in silence. She wouldn't look at Molly at all, because she knew she'd have a silly smirk on her face. She didn't bother with breakfast, and then she just shoved some stuff in her bag, and left the house.

As she walked slowly to school, she saw the Bladebreakers sitting on the wall outside with Cassidy. They were obviously telling her about what had happened to Dragoon. Cassidy held up one finger to signal 1 minute, and she got up and went to speak to Amber.

"Hey, Amber." She said, trying to act like nothing had happened.

"Hey," she said, sadly.

"We're still friends you know. You and me. What happened last night has got nothing to do with me, so I'm . . ." started Cassidy.

"But it's got nothing to do with me either, Cass. But no one believes me. I didn't do it." she said, tears brewing in her eyes again.

"Listen, you might regret what you did, but you can't deny that you did it." advised Cassidy. "That'll just make it worse."

"It can't get any worse. And I didn't do it. I swear." She took a deep breath to take the tears away.

"Listen, I gotta go now, but I'll see you in I.T. Bye," said Cassidy, and she walked back over to the wall and sat down with the Bladebreakers.

Amber nodded, and walked slowly into the school.

"Why were you talking to that traitor?" Tyson asked.

"Whatever happened last night has got nothing to do with me. Why should I lose a really good friend just because you have?" Cassidy asked.

"Yeah, Ty. You were a bit hard on Amber last night." Said Max. It was hard for him to hold a grudge against anyone.

"How would you like it if she nicked Draciel?" he snapped.

"Sorry, just chill, man." Said Max, holding his hands up.

"Hey, what's up guys?" said Toni, as she and Kelly walked up. "Did you find Dragoon?" she asked.

"Yep!" Tyson grinned, showing his blade. Toni jumped with joy and ran and gave him a hug. Tyson just grinned sheepishly.

"So, did you find the culprit?" Kelly asked.

"Erm, I don't think you really wanna know." Said Max.

"How come?"

"Just don't ask. It's better that you don't know. Trust me," he said.

Kelly just shrugged and sat next to them on the wall. She wanted to know, but if Max said that it was better that she didn't know, she decided to trust his decision.

In Room 18, Amber was sitting by herself by the window that led out to the road. She stared out glumly, and saw Kelly and Toni chatting away like nothing had happened. She saw a shadow appear over her, but couldn't care less.

"What happened to your loser friends, then?" came a deep voice.

"Leave me alone, Blake." Amber said, without looking up. She knew who it was straight away.

"I was wrong thinking you might wanna hang out with me then. Oh well," he said, and started walking off, but didn't go far, because Amber turned around and called to him.

"Wait, Blake." She said, and he came and sat on her desk.

"You reconsidered my offer then?" he said, smirking.

"Yeah. My other 'friends' couldn't care less about me." She said.

"Fine. You should be able to remember my timetable. Meet me after each lesson. Don't be late." And he walked off.

Amber couldn't believe it. She'd sworn to herself last night that if Blake came looking for her company, she'd tell him to piss off. She couldn't believe that she'd gone back to Blake.

"Hey, Amber. What was Blake talking to you about?" asked Danny, who had come and taken a seat next to her.

"I have to meet him after every lesson." She said quietly.

"Why? Why not meet the Bladebreakers after every lesson?" he asked.

"I'm not their friend." She said, lowering her head.

"How come?" he asked.

"They think I did something bad, but it wasn't me." She said, lowering her head even more. It was now just inches above the table.

"Did what?"

"They think I stole Dragoon." She said, and finally clonked her head on the table.

"And did you?"

"No. It was my sister." She mumbled.

"Have you told them?"

"No. They didn't believe me then, so why would they believe me now?"

"Cheer up a bit though. It's not right to see you so low. You're always chirpy." He said.

"I don't feel like smiling or anything today."

Danny didn't say anything now; he just put his arm around her shoulder. Amber felt safe and comforted, as she always had with Danny.

First period was either German, Spanish or French; depending on which language you chose to learn. In Room 12, Mariah, Mariam, Emily, Salima and Hilary were waiting for Ms. Hunjan, their German teacher to take the register. She took forever to get the class quiet, and then she'd have to look through her folder to find the right register.

In Room 13, Tyson, Max, Kai, Ray, Kenny and Toni had been set a task to say something you love to do by their Spanish teacher, Ms. Grute, and were trying to figure out how you'd say 'I love Beyblading' in Spanish, while Cassidy was laughing at them. Being half Spanish herself, she could already speak fluently, but wanted to learn how to write it. She had never been taught, whereas she had learnt to speak from her mother, but she'd left before Cassidy had started to write.

In Room 14, Kelly was trying to talk to Amber, but she was getting a mouthful of language from Troy and Blake. Danny was trying to make Amber cheer up, because she was still down. Then their French teacher, Ms. Orford came in and split them up, because they had been told before about their language.

"You're here to learn French, not some dirty foul language." She said.

Troy just dished out another load of swearing, but Ms. Orford knew there was no stopping him, so she just ignored him.

"Today we're revising our directions. First, turn left. Repeat after me: Tournez á gauche."

Everyone mumbled 'tournez á gauche' without any real expression. Amber didn't particularly like French, even though she was extremely good at it. She looked over at Kelly who was scribbling on a piece of paper. She folded it up, and wrote 'Amber' on it. She passed it to Danny, who threw it across the table to Amber.

She opened it, and read:

Hey Amber, wots up? Ur relly dwn 2day + dats not lyk u. Y wont u talk 2 me? I haven't dun nethin wrong hav I? I need 2 talk 2 u badly. Meet me the BBtree break. Luv, Kel

She'd speak to Kelly anywhere apart from the Bladebreaker tree. She was never going there again. She ripped some paper out of her book and started to write. Then she folded it up and threw it over to Danny who passed it to Kelly.

Kelly opened it, and read through it.

Giv me 5 mins into break, but dnt meet me d BBtree. Meet me in d library. Dnt b l8 tho, cos I gtg sumwhere afta. Amber

In the library? No one ever went into the library, not that Kelly knew anyway. Kelly glanced over at Amber and nodded.

In Room 13, everyone was trying to encourage Cassidy to have a conversation with the Spanish teacher in Spanish. Ever since Cassidy had started hanging around with the Bladebreakers and was mates with Tania and Ricardo, everyone treated her differently.

"Awww, go on, Cass! Maybe we'll learn something!" Toni teased.

"Fine, but only quickly, so you better be paying attention." Cassidy said.

Cassidy and Ms. Grute spoke Spanish for about two or three minutes with the class listening silently. Cassidy said to Ms. Grute when they were having their conversation that she'd never known the class so quiet, and Ms. Grute agreed.

"That's it. No more now." Cassidy said, making a slicing movement with her hand.

The class applauded and cheered, and Cassidy laughed and blushed.

"OK class, calm down now. Can we get back to learning some Spanish that you'll understand?" Ms. Grute said.

The class quietened down, and Ms. Grute started her revision on how to buy something from a shop. Everyone groaned, and realised that it would take forever.

After Spanish had finished, Tyson, Ray, Max, Kenny and Toni said they'll see Cassidy and Kai later, and they rushed off to Room 25 for their Music lesson with Ms. Hanke. They always tried to get the best seats by the door, because the keyboards that were located behind them were the best. They had loads of different voices, and quite a range of songs.

They were first into the class, and made Ms. Hanke jump, because she was playing one of Mozart's pieces on her piano.

"Hey miss!" Tyson called.

"Good morning, Tyson. Please take a seat," she said, indicating to all the empty seats around her. She always called Tyson by his first name, because he said that teachers should call him by his chosen name, and he didn't want to be called Mr. Granger. Most of the teachers called him Tyson, but a few of them, like the Heads of Department or Heads of Year called him Mr. Granger.

"What are we doing today, miss?" he asked, taking no notice of what she'd just said to him.

Ray, Max, Kenny and Toni had grabbed the best seats, and Toni had her hand on the chair next to her – saving it for Tyson. But while Tyson was talking to Ms. Hanke, some other kids came rushing in. A tallish kid with black spiky hair down to his shoulders, green eyes, a gold hoop earring in his right ear, and a gold bar in his left eyebrow sat down on the chair that Toni had been saving for Tyson.

"Move, Jamie." Toni said.

"Nah," he replied.

"Are you deaf? I said 'move Jamie'." She repeated.

"Are you blind?" Jamie said, pointing to his grey t-shirt. In jagged, red writing was 'Attitude Problem'.

"No, I'm not blind, but you soon will be if you don't move your arse from that chair." Threatened Toni, clenching her fist.

In the background, Max, Ray and Kenny were trying hard to stifle their laughs. They'd known Toni was witty, and when someone was doing something that she didn't like, she'd get extremely verbal.

"Ooh. Is that a threat, Miss. LaVelle?" he said, smirking. "Here's an idea. Give me a kiss and I'll move."

Toni had a look of disgust on her face.

"Here's an idea. How about I plant one right on your kisser?" said Tyson. He was standing right in front of Jamie, and had his hands clenched ready for a fight.

"Nah, we wouldn't want to mark this beautiful face now, would we?" Jamie said, before getting up and going to sit elsewhere.

"Finally! He is so irritating. Sometimes he's nice to you; sometimes he's a jerk to you. I can never tell whether I like him or hate him." Toni said, groaning.

Tyson laughed. He was chatting to them then about what Ms. Hanke had said to him.

"I asked her what we were doing today, and she told me to sit down, so I asked her again. She got a piece of paper and circled a number – it looked like a list – then she gave it me to read through, but it must have been the wrong one because it was the school Code of Conduct, and she'd circled one about not being ignorant or arrogant."

Max, Ray, Kenny and Toni all burst out laughing. It was amazing how Tyson could be so dense.

"Class, calm down while I take your register please." Said Ms. Hanke, pulling a folder out from a cupboard behind her. "Tyson Granger,"

"Yes, miss."

"Kenny Havigama,"

"Yes, miss."

"Jamie Kilburn,"

"Yeah, miss."

"Ray Kon,"

"Yes, miss."

"Toni LaVelle,"

"Yes, miss."

"Dominic Minikin,"

"Good morning, Ms. Hanke." Came a voice.

Everyone groaned. Dominic Minikin. He was the boffin of all Year 11. He had light brown hair that was combed neatly to the side and green eyes which were covered by small beige framed glasses. His nose was dotted with freckles, which made him look a lot younger than he was. However nerdy he was, he was already 16, and thought this made him the bees-knees. He was wearing beige shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Around the collar of his t-shirt was a maroon and silver tie, as they were the main school colours.

"Good morning, Mr. Minikin." said Ms. Hanke, smiling. "Max Tate,"

"Yes, miss."

Ms. Hanke scrolled through the rest of the names. She put the folder back into the cupboard, and then sat at the piano. She didn't say anything to the class, but started playing a slow piece, that seemed really sad. It took quite a long time, but when she'd finished, everyone applauded politely.

"Does anyone know what piece this is and who it is by?" Ms. Hanke asked.

Everyone looked at the people sitting around them shrugging, but Dominic's hand shot straight up into the air.

"It was the Planet Suite by Gustav Holst." Said Dominic proudly.

"Well done, Dominic." Nodded Ms. Hanke.

"Oh brilliant answer Dominic. Well done Dominic. Correct Dominic. I love you Dominic. Will you marry me Dominic?" Whispered Toni, taking the piss out of Ms. Hanke. Tyson, Max and Ray had to try as hard as they could to stop themselves bursting into fits of laughter.

Kenny on the other hand looked appalled. Teachers were supposed to praise you when you got an answer right, and he didn't see why they should take the piss.

"Guys! Shut up." Kenny hissed.

'God help me,' thought Kenny. 'They'll be like this all lesson. I actually feel sorry for Ms. Hanke.'


	14. Chapter 14

When the bell finally rang for break, Kelly rushed out of her Music lesson in Room 24 and ran to her locker. She had to hurry because her Music teacher, Ms. Hopper, had kept them in for five minutes after the lesson had finished. She shoved her bag in, because she wouldn't need it for her next lesson, which was I.T. Because she had only just started Smithton, they said that it was too late for her to start doing coursework, because it had to be handed in by the end of March.

Kelly went to walk out to the Bladebreaker tree, and then realised she'd promised to meet Amber in the library. But she didn't know where it was.

Kelly glanced around, and the first person she saw was a kid with light brown hair that had been combed neatly to the side. He had green eyes, which were hiding behind beige framed glasses. He was wearing a plain grey top with a purple and silver tie (which were the school colours), and plain black shorts. Kelly ran over to him.

"Hi. You probably don't know me. I'm Kelly LaVelle, and I really need to get to the library, but I don't know where it is. Could you give me directions?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm Dominic Minikin, by the way. Come on, I'll take you." He said.

"Thanks!" Kelly said. She followed Dominic through loads of different corridors, and noticed that if she had tried to find the library by herself she would've been so wrong.

As they were walking, Dominic kept scuffing his feet along the floor.

"Erm, wouldn't it be quicker to walk rather than shuffle?" Kelly asked awkwardly.

Dominic just shrugged. "You remind me of someone, but I don't know why. You don't have a brother or a sister, do you?"

"Yeah. Toni. She's in . . ."

"My class." Dominic said. But before Kelly could say anything else, Dominic had cut in again. "I need to meet someone now," he said, checking his watch. "But if you carry on straight down this corridor, turn right at the end, through the double doors, to the end of that corridor and it's on your left. See you around!" he said, before shuffling off.

Kelly gulped. She didn't have that good a memory, even if it was just 3 directions. She remembered the first bit. 'Walk straight to the end of this corridor.' Kelly walked slowly down the corridor, even though she was already late meeting Amber.

When she got to the end, she looked left, and then right. There were double doors on each side. Was it left then right? Or right then left? She could take a 50/50 chance, or she could wait for someone to appear and ask them which way it was, but the corridor was deserted.

She took a wild guess and ran through the doors to the left. She remembered that after you took a turn through the door, you went to the end of the corridor and took the opposite direction from before, so that meant Kelly had to go through a door on the right.

She opened the door expecting to find shelves full of books, computers and laptops, and a librarian, but had obviously taken the wrong turnings, because she found herself standing in a doorway to a room where two boys were deep in a Beybattle. Being disturbed, they ended their battle.

"What're you doing here?" said one with lime green hair. On top of that he had a blue beret.

"Sorry, I . . . erm, didn't mean to interrupt. I . . ." started Kelly.

"This is a private room. Who sent you here? Was it McGregor?" Asked the second boy. He had purple hair.

Kelly went to say that she was looking for the library, but was then curious to how he knew Johnny. She completely forgot about meeting Amber.

"No, I'm just lost. Who are you and what're you doing in here?" Kelly asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"That's for us to know and you to find out." Said the green haired boy, smirking.

"That's what I'm trying to do!" Kelly replied indignantly.

"Hang on a minute Oliver." Said the purple haired boy to the other. "It's only fair. We tell her who we are and what we're doing, and she tells us who she is and what she's doing. Agreed?" he asked, looking at Kelly. Kelly just shrugged and nodded.

"No crime for people to know my name," Kelly said, pretending to file her fingers on her top. "I'm Kelly LaVelle, and I was looking for the library, but I only started here on Friday, so I'm not sure where everything is. I got lost and ended up here. You?"

"This is our training room. I'm Robert Jurgen, and this is Oliver Polanski. We're the European Champions. Well, two of them at least." Said the purple haired boy.

"Correction: **were** the European Champions. Only you went and got yourselves knocked off your thrones to Tyson and the Bladebreakers, didn't you?" said Kelly.

"How do you know about that? You don't look rich enough to have got in the stands." Said Oliver.

"That's because I wasn't." said Kelly. "I know because, 1) I used to research Beyblading teams and their techniques every day at my last school, 2) my sister is going out with Tyson from the Bladebreakers, and 3) I happen to be going out with Max. You don't think they wouldn't tell me all about their little adventures, do you?"

"I'd challenge you to see if you're research is as good as you think, but girls don't Beyblade." Said Robert.

"Oh, now that doesn't sound right. What about her?" said Kelly, pointing at Oliver. But seeing his disgusted face, withdrew her last remark. "Just kidding. I Beyblade, and I accept your challenge. And I bet I can beat you." Kelly said.

"Hmm, things are starting to sound interesting." Said Robert, nodding slightly. "OK. Ready when you are." Said Robert, holding his launcher out.

"Born ready." Kelly smiled, and she clicked her blade into place in her launcher.

"And in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . LET IT RIP!" shouted Oliver, flagging his arm down as a signal to begin.

Both of the blades shot out, but Kelly clutched her right hand, as releasing her blade had hurt her hand, but she called on her bit beast straight away.

"Draleen!" she called, and her silver killer whale appeared obediently.

"So you got a bit beast. Big deal. Let me show you real power. Griffolyon!" Robert cried, and out of his bit-chip flew a purple griffin. It had the body of an eagle, but the heart and courage of a lion.

Suddenly, Kelly clicked. It must have been the fact that Robert's bit beast was a bird, just like Amber's.

"Oh my God. Sorry, I've got to cut this battle short. It's been fun, let's do it again sometime. Quickly Draleen, Black Bite!" cried Kelly.

Draleen shot forward, but instead of attacking Griffolyon, went straight for the blade. It shot forward, its eyes gleaming, and with its huge diamond teeth it sunk them into Robert's bit-chip.

"What do you think that's gonna . . . What?!" cried Robert, his eyes opening wide as his precious griffin bit beast vanished back into his bit-chip.

"Erm, Black Bite. Forces the opposing bit beast back into the bit-chip." Explained Kelly.

Draleen shot forward, knocking Griffolyon straight out of the dish. Draleen then flew into Kelly's hand.

"Again, sorry to cut it short. See you!" she said, and ran out of the room.

She thought that if left then right was wrong, then it must be right then left. She ran out of the room back to the spot where Dominic had left her. Just as she was about to carry on running through the double doors on the right, the bell rang for third period.

'Oh, damn! Amber's going to think I was messing her around.' Kelly thought, as she made her way to Room 4 for her I.T lesson.

The I.T lessons had pupils from two forms split up, so Kelly was with half of 11U, which was Toni, Tyson, Max, Ray, Kenny and Dominic's form. Kelly was in 11E. Amber, Blake and Danny were in 11A, whereas Cassidy and Kai were in 11O.

Kelly reached her I.T room, but only to find that all the computers had already been taken. There were only 15 computers, which meant that there had to be two people to a computer, unless there were the few that had one to themselves if people were absent or were doing booklet work. She looked around for someone to go and sit with, but there was only one person who was on his own. Some spiky, black haired kid. She wandered over to see what he was doing, because it was crystal clear that he wasn't doing coursework.

"Hi," Kelly said, trying to sound optimistic, but that reminded her of Amber, so she decided to be herself.

The black haired kid turned around and looked at Kelly. Kelly was a bit taken aback at first, because he had a gold bar through his eyebrow, but that shock faded away quite quickly.

"Hey, what's up?" he said.

"Meh, not much. You?" she asked.

"Nah. Nothing ever happens around here. Especially with some of these old coots they call teachers." He said, rolling his eyes.

"I wouldn't say that." Kelly said. She pulled up a chair next to him. "I'm Kelly LaVelle," she said, holding her hand out.

"Jamie Kilburn." He said, shaking her hand.

Kelly smiled. He seemed a nice enough person to talk to, compared to Blake or Troy anyway.

A bit further along the desk that ran all around the room, Toni was pounding furiously on the keyboard, playing a game on the computer. Tyson was laughing and cheering her on. Toni stuck her pointy tongue out the corner of her mouth and squinted her eyes as she stared at the screen.

"Ooh, don't miss the bonus!" cried Tyson.

Toni pummelled on the keyboard, but it made such a racket that even the teacher couldn't ignore it.

"Miss. LaVelle!" Mr. Goorney cried.

"Yeah?" replied Toni and Kelly at the same time, looking over at the teacher.

"Not you," he said, waving his hand at Kelly. But because Toni wasn't that far away from Kelly, she thought he meant her, so both Toni and Kelly looked away.

"Miss. Toni LaVelle!" he cried again.

"He better bloody make up his mind," Toni mumbled to Tyson. She turned to face Mr. Goorney again. "Yeah?"

"Please stop pounding on the keyboard as they can break very easily and you'll be the one paying for a new one."

"Yes, sir." Toni answered, but carried on playing her game.

Kelly was sitting with Jamie, and she was telling him some of the best websites for Beyblading information.

"Is that all you know? I mean, these are like so obvious!" he said, after visiting the third one.

"Erm, OK. I'm actually a high-up member in this one, so I can add, take away or correct information." Kelly said, and she gave him directions to a new one.

Jamie got a bit obsessed with it, because it had loads of information and pictures on Beybladers from around the world. Of course there were the Bladebreakers, but there were also the White Tigers, All Starz, Demolition Boys, Majestics, Psykicks and Saint Shields. Then there were teams that had been registered in the BBA, but hadn't entered in any tournaments.

"How come I've never heard of some of these?" Jamie asked, flicking through page after page.

"Well, I used to spend every day in a computer suite at my old school, researching Beyblading teams and stuff." Said Kelly. "I was there for about . . . 10 years. So I had a pretty long time to research."

Jamie looked impressed. He knew when she first came over and spoke to him that she was Toni's sister, but she had a completely different personality. To him, anyway.

"Hey, what's Kelly doing talking to Jamie?" said Max, who was on the other side of the room.

Max had come in late as well, so there were no computers anywhere, so he couldn't save one to share with Kelly. He saw Toni sitting with Tyson, and Kenny was sitting with Dominic for some reason. He saw Ray, who had beckoned him over.

"Relax, mate. She's probably just making some new friends." Ray said.

"Yeah, well I'd prefer it if she made friends with people who will treat her properly." He said.

"Aw, come on. Kelly can take care of herself. Unlike Tyson." Said Ray, indicating to where Tyson was sitting.

He was leaning back on his chair, tilting and tilting even further. He was watching Toni play the computer game still, and when she managed to get the 'Level Up' bonus, she squealed loudly. Tyson screamed as he fell backwards, and hit his head on the floor.

"I'm OK," he said, but looking dazed all the same.

Toni couldn't help laughing, but helped him up. "Trust you!" she laughed, pulling him up.

"It was your fault! You made me jump." Tyson claimed.

"Well you shouldn't be such a scaredy-cat, should you?" Toni said, smiling and pointing out her tongue.

Tyson just grinned back. He put his chair back upright and sat down, but tilted it back again.

"He just never learns does he?" said Ray, laughing.

But Max wasn't paying attention. He was watching Kelly talking to Jamie still, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Look, Max, you're getting completely obsessed here. Kelly is just talking to him, right?" Ray said.

Max sighed. "Sorry. Hey, will you help me finish my coursework? I don't get this last bit." He asked.

"Sure." Said Ray. 'Whatever takes your mind off Kelly,' he thought to himself. But he knew better than to say this to Max's face.

Kelly asked Jamie if she could take over for a minute. He agreed and pushed the keyboard and mouse over so they were in front of her. Kelly closed the website, and typed in a similar address, but it had a lot of extra characters on the end. It took her to a log-in page. She typed in her full name and a quick password, which took her back to the homepage of the website that Jamie had been looking at.

"What was the point of that?" said Jamie, looking at her and then the computer screen.

Kelly didn't say anything; she just smiled. She waited for five seconds exactly and then double clicked on a blank space on the homepage.

"You have to click on a link for anything to work." Said Jamie, as though he was talking to the dumbest person in the world.

"Do I?" Kelly asked. The computer started whirring, and then a new page came up.

"Welcome, Kelly." Said the computer.

"Cool! How d'you do that?" asked Jamie in wonder.

"I told you. I'm a high-up member on this site." Said Kelly.

She clicked on various links, and it took her to a page with empty text boxes. Under the heading 'NAME:' she typed 'Sunrise', and then under another heading, Kelly wrote a brief description of Sunrise. She then added attacks and how powerful they were. She also added any other information, which included the 'Legend of Light and Darkness'.

She hit save, and then wrote another one, but for Nightfall. She hit the save button again, and logged out again.

"Thank you for visiting Blade-Wise." Said the computer again.

Kelly closed the whole Internet connection, and because all the computers were connected, it temporarily stopped anyone in the classroom from using the Internet.

Calls for Mr. Goorney were heard, shouting that the Internet had broken. Kelly restarted it quickly, but it was important that she closed it down after each logged-in visit to Blade-Wise, because otherwise people could then hack into her account.

"Quick," she whispered to Jamie, sliding the keyboard and mouse back over to him. "Go back onto the Net and do something. Otherwise I'll get in trouble for shutting it down."

In the very corner of the room, nearest to the teacher's desk, sat Kenny and Dominic. They were both discussing the best ways to get out of various situations, when Dominic changed the subject.

"How come Toni's sister never came here before?" He asked, his American accent really showing.

"Well, she used to go to a boarding school for the gifted and talented." Kenny explained. "Why?"

"Erm, no reason," said Dominic, blushing.

"Ooh, Dom's got a crush!" taunted Kenny. "Anyway, Kelly's already taken. She's going out with Max."

Dominic just looked over at Max, who was writing slowly, stopping now and then to think. Dominic felt jealous. He really liked Kelly, but how she could be Toni's sister, when she looked nothing like her?

"Well, even if you can't be her boyfriend, maybe you should just be friends?" said Kenny.

"Erm, no, it's O . . ." Dominic started, but Kenny had already called her over.

Kelly walked over, and pulled up a chair next to them.

"Hey Chief, what's up? Oh hi, you're erm . . . Sorry, I've forgotten your name." Said Kelly, biting her lip as she looked at Dominic.

"Dominic Minikin." He said. 'As if she'd wanna make friends with me. She can't even remember my name!' He thought to himself.

"Oh yeah! Hi. Hey, I've just realised – you've got an accent! So, where are you from originally?" Kelly asked.

"Well," started Dominic. "I was born in Kissimmee in Orlando, Florida, and lived there for 11 years. I moved to England five years ago, because my parents thought it was important for me to learn how differently some people live to us."

"So, you lived in America. I've always wanted to go to America," said Kelly dreamily. "Loads of fit TV stars are American! But I've got my Maxie!" she said.

Hearing his name, Max looked up. He looked around, and saw Kelly sitting with Kenny and Dominic and she was waving at him. Max smiled and waved back. But as soon as she looked away, Max lost his smile and groaned.

"Look, Ray. Now she's making friends with Boffin-Boy over there." Said Max, pointing over to where Kelly was sitting with Dominic and Kenny. "How can she stand that guy?"

"You know Kelly, she's got a lot of patience." Shrugged Ray. "Now, are you gonna carry on with your coursework?"

"No." said Max, and he stood up.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Asked Ray, looking up at Max.

"I'm gonna go and have a laugh with Kelly." He said, walking over to them. He sat on a desk behind them.

Kelly saw Max sitting behind them, so she got up and went and sat behind Dominic and Kenny with Max. She snuggled up right next to him, and he put his arm around her.

"Hey, Max. You wanna see my hand now? It's really gross!" said Kelly, smiling. She started taking off her glove, and Dominic craned his neck around.

Underneath Kelly's glove was a white bandage, but had only been wrapped around loosely. Kelly started unravelling it, and as it got near the end, it started sticking to her cut, and was pulling at it. The end finally came off, and they could see quite a thick line of just bare flesh. It had started healing up around the edges, but looked quite sore still.

"Ew. How did you do that?" Asked Dominic.

"I fainted at my friend's house and cut myself on a glass shelf. Look," said Kelly, lifting up her top a bit. Around her stomach was a similar bandage. "I'd show you that one as well, but the doctor said I had to leave it on for a week. I have to use a flannel to have a wash," She said, with a look of disgust on her face.

"Never mind." Said Max, and he gently rewrapped the bandage around her hand.

"Thanks, Max," said Kelly, smiling.

"No problem."

The rest of the lesson was pretty normal after that. When it finished, Kelly and Max went to Kelly's locker to get her bag out. They made their way to the tree afterwards, and found the others already there. Apart from Amber.

Kelly wished she hadn't had that battle with Robert, and wished that she had gone to see Amber instead. Something was definitely up with her, but she couldn't understand why no one had mentioned Amber.

Kelly sat down and slowly ate her lunch. Cassidy could see Kelly was thinking hard.

"Hey, Kelly. What's wrong?" she asked.

"I was supposed to meet Amber at break . . ." started Kelly, and Tyson coughed loudly. Kelly didn't think anything of it and carried on. "But I got kinda lost and went into a Beyblade practise room and ended up in a battle."

Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny all looked at each other. "Majestics." They said, rolling their eyes.

"How did you know?"

"They're always in there. Well, one of them at least. It's their personal training room, given to them by the Head of School." Said Ray.

"So who did you end up battling? Was it Johnny again?" asked Tyson.

"No, Robert. I had to finish it quick though, cos I remembered about meeting Amber. But just as I left, the bell went." Kelly shrugged.

Cassidy still wanted to be friends with Amber, but it looked like she didn't want to be friends with anyone now. Amber was such a nice person to have around, as she was constantly happy. It was really hard to stay unhappy with her around.

At that moment, Danny came wandering over.

"Hey." He greeted them all. "Have you heard about Amber? She's hanging around with Blake again."

"Like I care." Said Tyson, leaning back against the tree.

"Tyson!" said Toni, pushing him. "Don't mess about, this isn't funny. How come, Dan?"

"I don't care, Tone." Said Tyson, shaking his head. "I can't not tell you anymore. You know Dragoon was nicked? Well it was Amber."

"It can't have been . . . are you sure?" Toni asked.

"Positive. Tyson found Dragoon on top of Amber's computer in her room." Said Ray. "I couldn't believe it either, but I've got to."

"It's not Amber! She wouldn't do that!" said Kelly, standing up.

"Hello? I found it in her room. Evidence." Said Tyson.

"IT'S NOT AMBER!" She cried and stormed off.

Everyone looked at each other awkwardly. How could she deny that Amber had done it when they had clear proof? It didn't make sense; apart from the fact that Kelly must have been in a state of denial.

Max got up and ran after her, after saying he'd meet them all later.

"Kelly! Hey, wait up!!" he shouted.

Kelly slowed down, but didn't turn around. She looked at the floor and seemed to be wandering, but also seemed to know exactly where she was going.

"Go back to them, Max. I don't want you to fall out with them because of me. They've fallen out with me, I can tell." Kelly said, now looking straight ahead.

"Nah, they just wanna give you some space. And hey, they don't need me now. You do." He said. "So, where are we going?"

"To prove them lot wrong. I don't know how, but I know Amber didn't do it." Kelly said. She was determined to sort this out. "Come on, we're going to find Amber."

Max just shrugged and followed her. They managed to sneak back into the building, as at break and lunchtime, the building was off limits unless you had a pass. They ran along the corridor and into Room 18. They ducked down in the corner in case any teachers happened to walk past, and Kelly ripped a piece of paper out of her scrapbook. She scribbled a note and shoved it onto Amber's chair. She knew where she sat, because she had written on the table.

Then they ran out of the room, and back out onto the fields. They didn't go straight back over to the tree, but just wandered around over the fields. Kids around them were just watching, as Max was normally with the other Bladebreakers, not some girl.

"So what did you put in that note?" Max asked as they walked.

"Just saying sorry about missing her at break, and if she could meet me at the end of the day. I really need to talk to her about this now, otherwise I'll never rest." Kelly sighed. "And make sure you patch things up with the others, OK?" And Max nodded.


	15. Chapter 15

At the end of the day, Kelly was standing around the back of the gym where no one ever went. The wind was now blowing fiercely, and Kelly wrapped her arms around herself even more. Her hair was blowing all over the place, and she didn't even know if Amber would turn up, but had to wait and see.

She heard footsteps coming around the corner behind her, so she turned around and looked. But it wasn't Amber. It was Max.

"Hey, Maxie. Shouldn't you be going home now? I mean, it's cold out." She said, but shivering herself.

"I can see that," he said, walking over to her. He put his arms around her, and instantly felt her relax against him. "Still waiting for Amber? Do you want me to wait with you?" He asked.

"No, I'll be OK. I need to do this by myself." She said. She pulled away slowly, and looked up at him. "Oh, by the way, did you sort it out with Tyson and them?"

"Not really . . ." Max said hesitantly.

"What do you mean, 'not really'?" Kelly asked, looking straight into his eyes.

"Well, I tried to explain to Tyson that I'd come with you cos you were upset, but he said that I was just sticking up for Amber. He said that I was following you and that you were siding with Amber. "I'm not being friends with the enemy." He said, but it doesn't really make sense. The others aren't saying anything, but are quietly siding with Ty. I'm not that bothered, really." Max said, trying to look calm and not bothered.

"Yeah whatever! Come on, Max. You gotta make it up with Tyson, even if it means you gotta stay away from me. I don't wanna break up your close friendship." Kelly said, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Do it for me, then? Please?"

"Erm," said Max, looking back into her hazel eyes. They lightened with hope when she asked him. "OK then. But I'll meet up with you still. Nothing could keep me away." He smiled. He gave her a quick kiss, and walked off.

Kelly couldn't believe it. She'd made the Bladebreakers fall out with Max. She hoped that they'd be friends again soon, but didn't have much more time to think about it, because Amber appeared.

"Make it quick, I shouldn't be here." Said Amber, looking around.

"Please Amber, tell me what's wrong. I need to hear it from your side." Kelly said, walking over to her slowly.

"You wanna hear my side? Fine, at least someone does. After we all split up from the beach, I went home and watched telly, surfed the Net, blah blah blah, the stuff you normally do. Next thing I know, Tyson's banging on the door, then he's up the stairs. You wanna know how Dragoon got in my house? Molly." Said Amber, close to tears again. "She'd been to Mr. Granger's Martial Arts lesson, and must have taken it from there. Then she planted it on my computer. Happy now?" She said, and went to walk off.

"Wait Amber! I'm going to help you, and so will Max. We'll prove to the Bladebreakers that you didn't take Dragoon. I'm not sure how at the moment, but we will, I promise." Kelly said.

"How can you promise something like that? Even if you do end up breaking your promise, thanks for trying at least." Amber said.

"First, I need you to at least try and tell them your side of the story. OK? Then, we'll give them a chance, and then if they still say no, we can prove it to them, yeah? Sound good to you?"

"I suppose. But I can't meet you after lessons any more. I have to meet Blake. **Have** to. I don't have a choice. So, meet me back here at the end of school tomorrow, and bring the Bladebreakers. Gotta go now, and thanks. See you around," said Amber, before waving and hurrying off.

Kelly nodded after her, even though Amber couldn't see. This was gonna be a tough one to prove, especially to Tyson.

Cassidy was still at the park with the Bladebreakers. Toni had left cos she had loads of homework to do, and Max hadn't turned up. She'd been a bit worried about him and Kelly when they hadn't turned up to meet them at the end of school.

She was a bit uneasy sitting with the Bladebreakers though. It was the first time that she'd been the only girl sitting with them, and didn't know what to say. There wasn't exactly an awkward silence, because they were talking about Beyblading, but Cassidy still felt uncomfortable.

"Hey guys, I've found Draciel, so Max can't be far away. My Bit-Searcher is working properly again now! And this isn't the proto-type. This means that I can start making more Bit-Searchers to give to the BBA, and maybe to major experts . . ." Kenny started.

"Chief! You were gonna tell us where Max is?" Ray reminded.

"Oh yeah. He's at home. I'll send him an email." Said Kenny, typing quickly.

"Don't bother, Chief. Max doesn't believe us anymore. He follows Kelly around like a little puppy. She snaps her fingers and he jumps." Tyson said.

"Yeah, but even he would've spoken to one of us." Said Cassidy, leaning forward. She wasn't going to sit and keep quiet anymore. "You know Max better than any of us, Ty. You know that he would've tried to patch things up at the end of the day."

"I suppose." He shrugged.

"Email him Chief." Instructed Cassidy, ignoring Tyson.

"No need. He's just signed onto MSN." Said Kenny, and double-clicked on Max's email address. says: Hey Max. Where've you says: nowhere says: You didn't meet us after school. says: yeh. I had a few fings 2 sort out. but we're cool, says: Yeah. Well, I'm not sure about Tyson at the moment, but the rest of us are. says: kool. so where r u lot? d says: Yeah. Cass is with us as well, but Toni and Kelly disappeared. Well, Toni told us she had to go home, but we never saw Kelly at all. says: kel was busy afta skool. duno weva she'd want me 2 tell u . . . says: says: well, if u fink it's a bad idea, dnt tell Ty. kel was tlkin 2 amba. Dey got a way 2 proov dat amba's innocent. says: Are you says: yeh – well I fink so neway. tell u all evrythin 2moro tho. k? gtg now – my dad is complainin dat I ent bin doin my hmwk. C ya'll 2moro.

Max logged off. He didn't really need to do his homework, but he didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. He'd only signed in to see if Kelly was on, but when he saw that she wasn't, Kenny had already started talking to him.

Then he was wondering if Kelly was even home. He started worrying, and phoned her house, but Toni answered. She said that Kelly wasn't home yet, and she thought that she was with him. Max put the phone down and dialled Kelly's mobile number.

Down at the skateboard park, Kelly was sitting on a bench. She was watching the few skaters performing stunts when Eamon's 'Fuck It' started playing on her mobile. She looked at the screen to see Max Home written across it.

Kelly: What's up Max?

Max: Where are you? I just phoned your house but Tone said you weren't there.

Kelly: I'm just thinking . . . I just need a little time by myself.

Max: Are you sure? I mean, if you tell me where you are I could come and chat to you for a bit.

Kelly: No, I'm fine. I just need a little time on my one dot com.

Max: OK. Catch you later. Love you.

Kelly: Love you.

And she pressed the end call button. She sighed. Sometimes she wished Max would stop being so over-protective, but then she thought it through again, and it showed that he cared.

She sat and watched the skaters for a while longer. Finally, one of them came over to her. He was wearing a tight black muscle shirt and baggy dark blue jeans. They came right over his gigantic dark red trainers.

"You've been sitting here for a while now. So, what's eating you?" he asked, stomping his foot on his board, and it flew up into his hand.

"Nothing. Just needed some time to think." She replied. "You know, away from my friends." She added, so he didn't think she was a loner.

"Yeah. Good to have some mates to rely on, but always cool to get your own space. Peace out," he said, before dropping his skateboard and shooting off again.

'Yeah. Peace. I wish I could get just a bit of that, but that's almost impossible with the Bladebreakers as your friends.' Kelly thought. People kept talking to her when she just wanted to be by herself.

Lunchtime the next day, Kelly found Max waiting for her outside of her Technology room. Max had snuck out of his lesson towards the end, and the others said they'd cover for him. They walked slowly together out to the Bladebreaker tree, where Cassidy was already waiting.

"Hey guys." She greeted. "The others must have been kept back by Ms. Fletcher. So, you found a way to prove that Amber didn't steal Dragoon?"

"Yeah. It was actually Amber's sister, Molly. She took it when she was at Tyson's Grampa's Martial Arts lesson." Kelly explained.

Max hadn't actually heard how they'd managed to prove it, and was quite impressed with how she'd figured it out so quickly. But that was Kelly. Once she got her mind set on something, she'd do it, no matter how hard it was.

"So, when are you gonna tell them? When they turn up now?" Cassidy asked, and Max looked intrigued to know as well.

"Nah. After school, behind the gym. I'm gonna tell them all to meet up there instead of here." Kelly said, nodding to herself.

"What if they wanna know why?" Max enquired.

"Dunno yet. Hadn't thought about that. Oh well – I'll come up with something." Kelly shrugged.

Tyson came running out, screaming at the top of his voice. He had a sheer look of panic on his face, as though he'd just been caught doing something extremely embarrassing.

"Oh man . . ." said Tyson as he approached them. None of them got a chance to say anything, as Tyson had scrambled up the tree and hid. "If anyone asks, you haven't seen me."

Max, Kelly and Cassidy looked at each other. They looked around and saw Ray, Kenny and Kai come walking over. Of course, they asked the obvious question.

"Where's Tyson?"

They all just shrugged. They didn't know who Tyson was hiding from, so didn't tell anyone.

"I'm up here!" came a voice. Tyson was whispering down from the tree. "You can't see Mr. Smith, can you?"

"No. I saw him go and talk to Ms. Fletcher after class. After you ran out, Mr. Smith went in." Said Ray.

"Oh man . . ." groaned Tyson. "I'm in deep shit."

"Why? Who are you hiding from?" Kai asked.

"From all the teachers. I think they're out looking for me. You know last week with all the trouble we made in Tech.? Well, Mr. Smith sent me a note that came in this morning's register. He said that I had to go to his office at break, but I didn't go." Tyson moaned. "Anyway, what happened to Toni?"

"Dunno. When the bell rang, you ran out, then Toni ran out. But you went one way, she ran the other, so we don't know where she went." Said Kenny. "Did she say anything to any of you? Any clues at all?"

Everyone shook their head. Toni hadn't mentioned any of this to any of them. And it was so unlike her to run out and not tell anyone where she was going, because that wasn't her style.

Meanwhile, Toni was actually standing at the reception. She asked the receptionist if she could tell her where she could find Jamie Kilburn. During her Technology lesson, Max had told her about Kelly talking to Jamie. After the episode that Toni had experienced with Jamie the day before in Music, she thought that Kelly was letting herself in to something way over her head.

"Mr. Kilburn should've just left his Graphics lesson in Room 15." Said the receptionist after checking her computer database.

"Thank you," And Toni hurried to Room 15.

Thankfully, Ms. Westwood, the Graphics teacher, had kept them all behind to tidy up, as everyone had just shoved bits and pieces anywhere, rather than putting everything in its rightful place.

As people came rushing out, Toni grabbed Jamie and shoved him into Room 16, which was an empty R.S room. The teacher, Mr. Davis, wasn't in school that day, as he was taking some Yr 7's out on a trip.

"Hey! What's your problem?" Jamie said as Toni shut the door. "Oh, I get it. You've come back for that kiss, haven't you?" he smirked.

"You wish. I wanna know what you've been talking to my sister for." Toni said, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"We're mates, that's all. Why? You worried?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah. Worried that she's making friends with the wrong people. Come on J, you know that Kelly's still getting used to Smithton." Toni said.

"What do you want me to do? Leave her alone so she's got no other friends than you and the Bladebreakers? She came over and spoke to me first. And anyway, she's cool, why would I lose a mate?" Jamie asked. "And make this quick. I have stuff to do you know."

"You'll lose a 'mate'," said Toni, making quote marks with her hands. "Because I say so. And what do you have to do that's so important?"

"I've heard that one of the Sharks wants to talk to me. People have heard about me, which is more than anyone can say for you." Jamie said. "So if you don't mind . . ." he said, and he started to open the door.

Toni slammed the door shut with her hand, and then stood in front of it. She wasn't going to let it go that easily. She knew that Kelly could look after herself, but mixing in with Jamie was a bad idea. But she couldn't help wondering what the Sharks wanted with Jamie. The Sharks, or Blade Sharks, were the team that Kai used to lead before he joined up with the Bladebreakers, and only recruited the toughest people. Everyone had heard about them.

"I fucking well do mind. Until you promise me you'll keep away from Kelly, you're not going anywhere." Said Toni.

"Fine! I promise I'll keep away from your sister. Can I go now?" he said impatiently.

"Thank you. Just what I wanted to hear." Said Toni, and she stepped aside from the door.

As Jamie left, he laughed and said: "But I can't guarantee she'll keep away from me."

Toni groaned. She let her feet slowly slide out from under her, so she was sitting on the floor. She put her head in her hands. She couldn't be arsed with this anymore. She got up and wandered out to the Bladebreaker tree, after getting told off by the dinner ladies for still being in the building without an excuse.

"It's about time! Where've you been?" asked Ray.

"Nowhere. Don't worry, everything's cool." She assured them. "Where's Ty?"

They all pointed up the tree, and Toni looked up. She saw Tyson sitting near to the top looking out. Toni clambered up after him and sat on a branch that was opposite.

"Don't ask." Tyson said.

"I wasn't going to," Toni smiled. She was actually lying, but she thought that the others would fill her in later. She was pleased anyway, because Tyson and Max had somehow made friends again. At the beginning of the day, Tyson had just started talking to Max as though nothing had happened.

Back down on the ground, Kelly was telling them all to wait behind the gym after school instead of at the tree.

"How come?" Kai asked. They always met up at the tree, so why should that day be any different?

"Because you can see straight into the Gym from the back, and I need you guys to back me up if I get into any trouble. Ms. Kirby wants to talk to me, but I have no idea why." Kelly said without a moment's hesitation.

The others looked a bit confused, but agreed all the same.

"I'm looking for Toni," came a deep voice.

Toni heard it, but didn't recognise the voice, so she looked down. She saw a very tall lad of about 16 with shaggy black hair, but most of it was hidden under a grey hat with a fire pattern. He had hazel eyes and lots of scars and scratches. He was wearing a black muscle shirt and dark blue very baggy jeans. They covered nearly all of his dark red trainers. Toni recognised him then, and jumped down.

"That's me." She said plainly.

"Hey, you're that kid from yesterday. I never knew you came here. Who are you?" Said Kelly.

"Josh Clarke. And I don't come to this fucking shit hole by choice, I've been warned too many times by the coppers that I been stirring up trouble, so they said I either come to the Sixth Form here to keep me out of trouble, or they lock me up in the pokey. So, you figured out whatever it was you were thinking about?" he asked, but before Kelly could answer he started speaking to Toni.

"I've heard you're good at blading – that you managed to beat the World Champ." He said.

"What's it to you?" Toni asked, narrowing her eyes. "And anyway, that was ages ago, when I first met Tyson."

"Yeah, well. I was wondering if you think you're tough enough to take on me. You up for it? You ready to take on the leader of the Blade Sharks? And if you win and you get the honour of joining us." said Josh.


	16. Chapter 16

Kai had only been half-listening to the conversation, but when he heard 'Blade Sharks', he looked straight at Josh.

"What did you just say?"

Josh didn't say anything, he just looked back at Kai.

"Yeah. They told me about you. You're Kai, former leader. They told me what a waste of space you were." Josh smirked.

"Let's see what they have to say to my face." Said Kai. He stood up expectantly. "Come on then. Lead the way. Unless you're afraid they preferred my leadership."

Josh just laughed. He started walking towards the basketball courts, so Kai followed him. Everyone got up and followed him, and even Tyson got down from the tree.

'This'll be interesting,' thought Kai. 'Let's see what the team think of me now. Do they envy me, or do they despise me?'

It certainly was interesting. Josh led them down past the basketball courts, and down a small alley at the side. If Josh hadn't shown it to them, none of them would've known it was there. They all kept following Josh through this alley, but it just led to a dead end with stacks of boxes. Josh climbed onto the boxes and over the wall.

"Figures." Said Kai, chuckling. As soon as he saw Josh disappear over the wall, he knew where they were going. "Still in the old warehouse. Not a lot's changed."

They all helped Cassidy over first, as they could see it would've been impossible for her to climb over by herself. When they were all over, Kai saw Josh just receding into the warehouse across the street.

Kai ran over the road, dodging past all the cars. He was lucky that he wasn't hit.

No way were the others taking that risk, and they ran down the path a bit to the lights, and waited for them to change.

Meanwhile, Kai had just walked into the warehouse and was looking around. No one had realised he'd already come in, and there were battles going on everywhere. The warehouse still looked the same. The same old creaky stairs, same old crumbling walls, same old broken windows. Then Kai saw a few of the Blade Sharks that he knew best.

"Long time no see," Kai said, walking forward.

On instinct, everyone in the warehouse stopped battling, their blades flew to their hands and they clicked them into place in their launchers, ready to fight the intruder. But on seeing Kai back, they all lowered their launchers.

Whispers of: "It's Kai!" and "Kai's back!" filled the whole warehouse. It looked like Josh had been recruiting a lot more members.

The members that had been Blade Sharks the longest came down to greet their old leader.

"Hey Kai. Have you come back for good?" They asked.

Kai just shrugged, not bothered if they wanted him back as their leader or not.

"Josh has been wrecking the name of the Blade Sharks. He's been recruiting nearly anyone who has a blade and a bit of an attitude. You need to set things straight." Said one of them.

"I don't need to do anything. Don't tell me what to do." Said Kai. "Let's see if your skills have improved." And Kai went and stood by one of the arenas.

Everyone went back to their battles, apart from a few who stood guard, by the doors, and two members started their battle in front of Kai, so he could see if the training had changed. But after about two minutes, Kai could tell nothing had.

Cassidy came rushing into the warehouse, closely followed by Toni, Kelly and the other Bladebreakers. The Blade Sharks who were on guard released their blades and they shot towards Cassidy who was at the front of the group.

Cassidy screamed, and Kai looked to see what it was. He'd completely forgot about the others, and he saw two or three blades skimming across the floor towards Cassidy.

"No! Leave them alone! Pull back!" Ordered Kai, but it was too late. The blades had already reached Cassidy and were tearing her crutches to pieces.

Cassidy started to lose her balance, and Kai jumped down and literally picked the blades up mid-spin. He flinched as the blades sliced through his hands, but kept his grip until they stopped spinning. Then he dropped them on the floor and went to help Cassidy over to some boxes so she could sit down.

Then an evil laugh ran through the warehouse, followed by a couple of short claps.

"Most entertaining. That blood on your hands almost looks real Kai." Came Josh's voice.

Kai growled, and clenched his fists. Josh had planned this from the start.

"Anyway, Toni." Came Josh's voice again. "About our battle. Do you accept?"

Toni looked at Kai's hands, which were now dripping blood. "Yeah, I accept. But first, get Kai some bandages, and something that can act as crutches for Cass."

"What do you think this is? A hospital? The quicker we have our battle, the quicker your friends get treated." Josh finally showed himself. He was standing up on the rafters above them all. He jumped down, and landed perfectly in front of the nearest Beydish with his launcher in his hand.

Toni looked again at Kai and Cassidy. They needed help.

"Fine. One-on-one battle, first down loses. No rematch, no best of three. Ready?" Said Toni, bringing out her launcher and blade and stepping up to the dish.

"Yeah. So in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . LET IT RIP!" Cried Josh, and he pulled the ripcord out from his launcher.

Toni's white blade shot into the dish first, randomly attacking Josh's black blade. It was one hundred percent black apart from the white bit-chip that sat on top.

"You think that'll do any good? My practising has increased all of its levels, including defence, so that shitty little attack won't do any good." Josh laughed.

"You should take more time washing your mouth out with soap than practising. Have you heard yourself? Or shall I bring in a recording of you?" Toni snapped back.

Josh glared at her. He knew he swore a lot, but didn't care. That's how he'd been brought up, and didn't know any other way of putting things.

"Come on. You can't have beaten the World Champ this way!" said Josh, rolling his eyes. "Actually, with his lack of experience, I guess you could."

Tyson was fuming. He had been World Champion three times in a row, something that Josh could never accomplish, especially with his attitude. To be World Champ, you had to have determination, and never give up. But you never played ruthlessly, and you definitely never hurt anyone.

"That's it. You're pissing me off now. I thought you were worth the battle, but obviously you weren't. Duskrill! Come and show these wankers a real fight!" Josh said, and he shot his arm up in the air, summoning his bit beast.

A high-pitched screech filled the room as a black and silver racoon with pure white markings around its eyes and nose and a very long black tail jumped out of the white bit-chip. It also had very noticeable sharp, pointy teeth, and small feet. Its bright silver eyes shone brightly, which looked as though they had perfect accuracy.

"Come on, Crysticle! Let's show him some real power!" Toni cried, and her pure white stag stood proudly before her.

"Real power? As if! Duskrill! Silent Shadow Strike!" ordered Josh, and Duskrill stood immensely still.

It waved its tail around in one complete circle, wiping away the light around them as though it was a pencil line being erased by a rubber.

By this time, Kenny had opened his laptop, but as Duskrill used its Silent Shadow Strike, Dizzi faded away, but only temporarily.

"Oh no (!) I'm scared of the dark (!)" said Toni, pretending to shake, but no one could see her, or anything else for that matter, as it was pitch black. "Let's even this up and put it back to normal. Crysticle! Crystal Light!"

Crysticle reared up on its back hooves, and then a blinding white light shot out and filled the warehouse. As it had been pitch black before, the merging of the light with the darkness brought the light back to as it was before.

"Nice one, Tone!" encouraged Kelly.

"That's not all I've got either. Artic Frost!" directed Toni.

Crysticle created a huge snowstorm, which was forcing everyone backwards. The floor became slippery and unpredictable, which made the Beydish a lot harder to move on. It was difficult to control the blades, so attacks were firing vaguely, but missing.

"Duskrill, Light Vacuum!" cried Josh, getting annoyed that Toni was ahead of him.

Duskrill stopped dead still. It raised its tail high in the air and let out the same high-pitched squeal that it had released when it first appeared. Because Duskrill wasn't moving, it wasn't slipping so it had a good aim on Crysticle. All the light around started splitting up into tiny glowing particles, and was being sucked in towards Duskrill's tail.

It didn't actually take the light away, but more like the energy from it. All the tiny particles of light energy were now gathering in a compact ball that was balancing on the tip Duskrill's tail.

"Now, fire!" cried Josh, thrusting his arm forward, pointing at Crysticle.

Duskrill gently tapped it up into the air, and then using its tail like a tennis racket, struck the energy ball forwards at Crysticle.

"Crysticle! Move!" Wished Toni, but it was too late. The ball moved a lot faster than any person or even bit beast, and crashed straight into Crysticle's side.

Crysticle yelped with pain, and collapsed onto the floor. Crysticle disappeared back into its bit-chip, and Toni's silver blade stopped spinning.

"Guess that makes me the winner." Smirked Josh, as he went and picked up his own blade.

Toni growled and went to pick up her own blade, but as she bent down to pick up her blade, Josh grabbed her arm. Toni flicked her gaze to Josh, who was still smirking.

"Get off." Toni said bluntly, but couldn't have said it with more meaning.

Josh didn't let Toni go, or even loosen his grip.

"GET OFF!" she screamed, but couldn't get free of Josh's grip. She tried punching him, but some Blade Sharks came and grabbed her other arm.

"Hey! What you playing at!" asked an angry Tyson, storming forward.

Two more of the Blade Sharks grabbed Tyson and held him firmly.

"See, Kai? This lot have learnt a lot more from me than they ever did with you. Prove anything?" laughed Josh.

Kai growled, but it didn't stop the blood dripping from his hands. He flinched as he clenched his fists together, but tried to hide it as best he could.

"Look, I'm giving you one last chance to let go of me." Said Toni, narrowing her eyes and glaring at Josh.

"Or what?" Josh said, giving her a pathetic look.

Toni jumped up and kicked Josh as hard as she could. Josh loosened her arm as he leant forward to regain his breath as Toni had winded him. Toni got free of Josh's grip, but some other Blade Sharks came and grabbed her arm before she could get totally free.

"Bad idea," Said Josh, standing back up.

He brought his right hand over his left shoulder and elbowed Toni with all his strength. Toni fell to the floor, unconscious, and only then did the Blade Sharks release their grip. Tyson blew his fuse. He hadn't done that much at first, as Toni hadn't been hurt, but now, to see her unconscious – that had tipped him over the top.

"You're in for it now!" Tyson shouted, and he did a perfect back flip. That gave him the power he needed, and he thrust his arms together, so the two Blade Sharks that had a hold on him were forced together and they banged heads.

He ran full pelt at Josh, but Josh was already halfway up a ladder back up to the rafters.

"Leave it, Tyson! We've got enough trouble already!" said Ray, pointing at Cassidy and Kai, and then at Toni, where Kelly was already by her side.

"Tone? Come on, Tone. You gotta wake up." Pleaded Kelly, grasping Toni's hand.

Tyson snarled slightly, but realised he hadn't got any time to waste on Josh, and went over to Toni. He picked her up gently and propped her over his shoulder, and then started walking slowly back out of the warehouse.

Kelly watched Tyson carry her sister out of the warehouse, and then looked at Kai. His hands were still bleeding. She took off her bandage around her own hand, as hers wasn't as bad as Kai's was. The doctors had given her a long string of bandage, but they'd just wrapped and rewrapped the cut. She handed the bandage to Kai, who took it and ripped it in half. He wrapped each piece around one of his hands, and then tucked the end under.

Kai looked at Cassidy, who was trying to get up and follow Tyson. She was having a lot of trouble, as she had to hop. Kai walked over to her and picked her up and put her on the box that she had been sitting on. He turned around so he had his back facing her.

"Get on," Kai said.

"No, I'm OK. Seriously . . ." started Cassidy, trying to get down from the box.

"I said get on. Come on, what do you think I'm gonna do? Bite you?" Kai joked.

Cassidy grinned and then snapped her teeth together, making a biting sound. But she carefully climbed onto Kai's shoulders, being careful not to touch his hands.

Once Cassidy was sat on Kai's shoulders, Kai set off at a steady and even pace, so not to distress her. Kenny, Ray, Max and Kelly had already walked off after Tyson, and as Kai walked out of the warehouse, Josh laughed and said one last thing,

"See you around." But he said it threateningly.

Kai pretended not to have heard it, but he couldn't ignore it. He'd have to go back after school, and sort it out.

When they all managed to get back to the Bladebreaker tree, they saw a couple of Yr 7's messing around, pretending they were the Bladebreakers. When they got closer, Kelly realised that Amber's sister, Molly, was standing with them, laughing and joking.

'Oh great,' thought Kelly. 'How can this day get any worse?'

"Oh man, the Bladebreakers are back! Quick, run!" cried one of the kids.

"Why should we be scared of them?" said one of them. He was a lot taller than the others, but it was clear he was only in Yr 7 too. "They've been letting a lot of other kids join them as VIPs, so why wouldn't they ask us?"

"They wouldn't be interested in us, trust me." Said Molly, inspecting her nails, which were very long and painted sheer black.

"And how would you know?" said the tall kid.

"Hello? Is my sister a member? Well, was anyway. She's not anymore," grinned Molly, and added, "Thanks to moi. And anyway, Tyson's spoken to me before, so if he wanted me in the group, he would've asked by now."

Thankfully, they were too far away for anyone to hear them. But when Tyson and the others got to the tree, Molly and her friends were still there.

"Come on people, move." Said Tyson, in no mood for chatting with some silly Yr 7's.

"Yo, what's up Tyson? You still blading? Dragoon's really strong, I don't think anyone can beat you." Said the tall kid, obviously sucking up to him.

"You deaf, kid? I said move. Or do you want it differently. Out of my way. Get it now?" Tyson said, as he carefully placed Toni down so she was lying on the floor.

"What? The World Champ hasn't got time for his fans? Now that's ungrateful." Said one of the other kids.

"I haven't got time at the moment, can't you see that?" said Tyson, pointing at Toni, who was still unconscious. He was boiling up again. "Come back some other time, when I'm not busy."

"I told you." Said Molly, and she started walking away.

This was too perfect a time for Kelly. She knew she could get Molly trapped into confessing.

"Actually kids, you can stay for a bit, but you gotta keep out of our way for a bit, yeah?" proposed Kelly.

All the kids nodded and smiled. Maybe they were in with a chance after all.

Meanwhile, Tyson had run to the toilets to get a wet paper towel. He ripped one from the dispenser, and quickly turned the cold tap on. He shoved it under, and once it was completely wet, he ran back out the toilets, without even waiting to turn off the tap.

He went over to where Toni was lying, and he put it over her forehead and pressed down gently. Toni didn't stir.

"What happened to you lot?" said one of the kids.

"What did I say about getting in the way?" Kelly warned.

"All I did was ask a . . ."

"That was a polite way of saying 'Shut up.' Yeah?" said Max, rolling his eyes.

All of a sudden, Toni's eyelids opened, but her eyes were in the back of her head. Tyson started slowly rubbing the wet towel up and down her forehead, whispering something. Toni's eyes started coming back to normal, and she took a deep breath through her mouth.

"You're OK!" cried Kelly, rushing forward, but got stopped by Ray.

"Give her some space for a bit. I expect she'll be feeling a bit knocked about." He advised. Kelly went to object, but then nodded.

"What happened?" Toni said slowly.

"Which bit?" Tyson laughed quietly. "What can you remember last?"

Toni put her hands next to her hips and pushed herself up. She leant backwards against the tree and put her head in her hands. "Erm, last thing I remember, Josh grabbed my arm." She said slowly. Then she jumped. "Crysticle!" she cried, and her hands flew into her pockets, but they were empty. "Oh no. We've gotta go back. Crysticle's still there. Oh my God . . . what happened?"

"Well, after Josh grabbed your arm, you kicked him, then he elbowed you and knocked you out. Then Tyson went haywire and went to start on Josh, but realised we had to get you out of there." Explained Cassidy slowly.

"We've gotta go back. Now. Otherwise he might not be there." Toni said, and she started getting up.

"Wait right there. You're in no state to go anywhere right now, so I'll go back." Said Tyson standing up. "I'll be right back. If anyone asks, you haven't seen me." And he started walking off.

"Tyson, stop." Said Kai. Tyson turned around and looked at his captain.

"What?"

"I'll go. I think Toni would prefer it if you stayed here with her, and I need to sort something out with the Sharks." He said.

"Are you sure? I mean – I'll go." Tyson said.

"Yeah. See you guys later." Said Kai, and he walked back off round to the basketball courts.

There was a bit of an awkward silence, but not for long, as the kids started whispering. It was a bit annoying, but it was better than silence.

"Anyway, Mol. You been practising your Martial Arts?" Kelly asked.

"How do you know I go to Martial Arts lessons?" Molly asked, narrowing her eyes at Kelly.

"Amber told me." Kelly said.

"You mean . . . you're still her friend? After she stole Dragoon?" Molly said, gawping.

Cassidy knew where Kelly was getting, so decided to help her out.

"How did you know Dragoon had been stolen? I mean, Amber told us that she wouldn't speak to anyone at home, and we never told anyone." Cassidy said, tilting her head on the side.

"I . . . erm . . ." said Molly, hesitating. She had one last chance to get herself out of getting caught, and if she didn't answer soon, that chance will have gone. "I saw it on her computer."

"How did you know she had stolen it? How did you know Amber wasn't just looking at it, or doing homework on it?" Cassidy pressed, determined to catch Molly out. She wasn't going to let this drop now that she knew Amber was innocent.

"Erm . . ." Said Molly. She didn't know what to say.

"It's because you know Amber didn't steal it, did she Molly? You did." Kelly said, arms crossed.

"Fine!" shouted Molly, throwing her arms up in the air. "I did it. I stole Dragoon while everyone was in the Dojo at the last lesson. I went and spoke to Tyson in his room where he was blading and . . . I couldn't help myself." Confessed Molly. She didn't cry, or even have tears in her eyes, as she wasn't the crying type. Besides, she thought that crying was a weakness and it would've ruined her make-up.

Everyone went silent, and then Molly walked off. Her friends felt awkward, so they scuttled off after her. No one dared to look at Tyson, but Toni spoke quietly.

"I think you owe someone an apology, Ty." She said.

"I know." Was all Tyson said. He got up and put his hands in his pockets. He murmured that he'd be back a little later, and needed some time alone to clear his head, before wandering off.

While Tyson was walking off, Kelly told Toni she'd be back soon, just whilst she helped Cassidy go to the Nurse to see if she had any spare crutches or anything to help Cassidy get through the rest of the day.

The Nurse told Cassidy she needed to be more careful with her crutches, as Cassidy had said to her that some kids had run off with them. The Nurse contacted Reception, to see if they could get some crutches, as she didn't have any with her. The receptionist said that Cassidy would have to wait for a while, as they were busy and didn't have time at that moment.

Meanwhile, Tyson had wandered off to the back of the teacher's lounge, which was a separate little hut. He wasn't bothered about trying to keep hidden from anyone anymore, as he had more important things on his mind.

How was he going to just say sorry to Amber? She'd probably never forgive him, so the Bladebreakers would be losing a friend all because of him.

"Mr. Granger! Where have you been? I asked for you to come to my office at break, but you never showed up. Well I suppose better late than never. Come on, we'll go to my office now." Said Mr. Smith, popping his head around the door of the teacher's lounge. He went back in to grab his briefcase, and then he walked into the main building and into his office, with Tyson following him, looking at the floor.

Mr. Smith went and sat behind his desk, and he opened a file cabinet. He flicked through lots of different folders, but then pulled one out with Granger, Tyson written on it.

"You know why you're here, yes?" asked Mr. Smith, putting the folder on the table.

Tyson nodded. At least he'd get this out of the way so he wouldn't have to avoid the teachers, and when he got suspended, he'd have a chance to think of what to say to Amber.

"Well, looking at your previous file, I'm afraid you'll have to be suspended for a few days." Said Mr. Smith, flicking through various papers in Tyson's folder.

"No more or less than I expected." Tyson sighed.

"If you knew you were going to be suspended, why did you make such trouble last Thursday?" Mr. Smith enquired.

Tyson just shrugged. He didn't mean to cause trouble, but he just wasn't a good listener. The more he tried to concentrate, the more he'd get everything wrong. He relied on others to tell him what to do, and if they hadn't been listening either, he was in a right mess.

"Right then. You'll be suspended tomorrow and Monday, and I shall be sending a letter home advising them to have a word with you. I shall also be sending you home now, so if you'd be kind enough to go and wait in the foyer, I'll get the receptionist to call home for someone to pick you up." Mr. Smith said. He pulled out an official looking form, and filled it in.

Tyson stood up and waited for Mr. Smith to dismiss him. Mr. Smith then filled in a little green card, and handed it to Tyson.

"That explains to the receptionist that you're being sent home due to behaviour, and she'll need to phone home to get you picked up. Now, please take yourself to the foyer." Mr. Smith explained.

"Yes, sir." Said Tyson, before wandering out of Mr. Smith's office and making his way to the reception where the foyer was.

He handed in the green card to the receptionist and then went and sat down on the same chairs as he did last week. The receptionist phoned Tyson's home by looking up Tyson's information on the computer database, and asking if Mr. Granger would come and pick up Tyson, due to his behaviour.

When the receptionist put the phone down after speaking to Tyson's Grampa, she looked over at Tyson.

"Your grandfather will be here to pick you up in about five minutes." She said. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but he sounded extremely angry." She added, before going back to making calls to different teachers to remind them of meetings or to collect work to cover a lesson.

Tyson groaned and put his head in his hands. He wasn't able to say bye to anyone, and he wouldn't be able to see any of them on Monday. They'd wonder where he was for the last two lessons. At least he'd be able to explain to them over the weekend. The school couldn't ban him from going out, so he was safe there.

Or not. When his Grampa came to pick him up, he was fuming. He didn't say a word to Tyson when he came to pick him up from the school, and didn't talk to him when he signed him out from school, and he still didn't talk to him on the way home. He blew when they finally got home. He yelled at Tyson, and made him sit in the Dojo and think about what he did.

"Here are a few rules over for today, tomorrow, the weekend and on Monday. Number one – No television. Number two – No phone. Number three – No computer, which includes the Internet. Number four – No leaving the house. And number five – No Beyblading." Mr. Granger said, and he took Dragoon and Tyson's launcher from him. He put them in a safe under the floorboards, and only he knew the lock combination.

Tyson closed his eyes slowly. This would be a very boring few days. At least it was only for a few days. Then he realised. He hadn't got to say goodbye to the others, and now they'd wonder where he was today, tomorrow, and the next three days.


	17. Chapter 17

Back at school, they wondered where Tyson had disappeared to. It was now registration, and Toni was getting worried. OK, so it wasn't unusual for Tyson to be late, but he had strolled off at lunchtime, and no one saw or heard anything else from him.

Toni thought that maybe Tyson had gone back to the Blade Sharks warehouse. She decided she'd go and look after school, but she really wanted to know he was alright. Once she knew he was fine, she'd stop worrying, but Tyson didn't show up in the second half of the Technology lesson, and he didn't show up in Spanish either.

She'd been very quiet throughout the lessons, not only because she was concerned about Tyson, but also she was still feeling a bit shaken up from the experience with Josh earlier.

Not only did Tyson not show up the Spanish lesson, but also Kai didn't either. Kai might not like school, but Toni was sure he wouldn't skive off.

As soon as the bell rang, Toni shot out of Room 13 and down to the basketball courts. She knew she was supposed to meet the others behind the Gym, but that could wait. She ran down past the basketball courts, and she heard some silly Yr 8 boys shouting at her to run faster, which was a sarcastic comment, as Toni could run pretty fast.

She reached the alleyway at the end, and heard someone climbing back over. There was no one else in the alley, and Toni didn't know who it was. She ducked down behind a few crates, in case it was Josh, but it wasn't. It was Kai, with his face bruised and cut, his lip bleeding, his right shoulder was swollen up, and his shirt and trousers were torn.

"Kai?" Toni said nervously, stepping out from behind the crates. She'd completely forgot about Crysticle for the moment. She was so wrapped up in trying to find Tyson, and now seeing Kai like this, she forgot to ask if he had found Crysticle.

Kai didn't say anything, but he just wiped his lip with the back of his hand. Then he looked at Toni.

"What are you doing down here? We're supposed to be meeting the others behind the Gym." He asked.

"Never mind about that now, what happened to you?" Toni asked, looking Kai up and down.

"Nothing. Except my former team mates beat me up. They pulled an act earlier, saying Josh had wrecked the name of the Blade Sharks, but that was only to get me to go back later, by myself. Then they jumped me and did this." He said, pointing at himself.

"Go into the Gym and clean yourself up. If you look under some of the seats in the hallway that separates the girls and boys changing rooms, there should be a First Aid kit. Then meet the others. Tell them I'll either be late or I won't turn up. I don't know how long I'm gonna be." Toni directed.

"Why? Where are you going?" Kai asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Nowhere. Now, just go. Please? Thank you." She said, without waiting for an answer. Then she clambered up onto the boxes by the wall and climbed over.

She looked left and right for any sign of Tyson, but couldn't see anything other than the flurry of cars that were rushing past. She ran down to the lights, and when they changed, she ran across the road and down to the warehouse.

As she approached, she slowed down, now wary because of what they did to her earlier, and now what they did to Kai. She stepped in, and like earlier, the guards launched their blades at Toni.

This time Toni was ready. She jumped up and grabbed hold of one of the rafters. She swung herself around it so she was sitting on it. Then she stood up, keeping her balance perfectly.

"Tyson! Are you in here?" Toni cried, looking around.

"You back? For what?" Came Josh's voice. He was standing right opposite her.

"Can't you guess?" said Toni, looking around still for any sign of Tyson, but couldn't see anything.

"Can't you remember what happened to you earlier? And haven't you seen poor Kai? Awww . . . look Sharks, we got a return patient. Obviously she didn't get enough treatment. Seeing as we have no more appointments, what do you say we deal with her for the last time?" Said Josh, and Toni could see the Blade Sharks gathering underneath her, and some were climbing up to the rafters.

"I didn't ask for trouble, I just wanted to know if Tyson was here!" Toni screamed. It was now clear that he wasn't there, so she decided it was time to go.

She looked around for a way out. There was no way she was going down, not with the Blade Sharks swarming around her. Then she saw some small windows that were in line with the rafters, so she walked briskly across. She didn't dare run in case she slipped. She reached one of the windows safely, but it was shut tight, and there was no lock – the weather must've stuck it to the frame.

The Blade Sharks were now catching up, and Josh was directing them to go faster. They were everywhere. Some were still trying to climb up the rafters, some were waiting underneath Toni ready to catch her if she fell, and some were now climbing up ladders that led to the roof, but you could jump off at any point and grab hold of the rafters.

Toni had no other way out now. She had to get the window open, so using her elbow; she smashed the glass in the window. Some shards were still sticking up or down from the windowpane, so she knocked them down quickly with her foot. But as she lifted her foot to knock the shards away, she nearly fell off. She managed to regain her balance by jumping forward, and she was then leaning out of the window. It was quite a long drop, but somehow, Toni didn't think it would hurt as much as getting beaten up by the Blade Sharks. She took a deep breath and leaned even further, falling out, just as the Blade Sharks went to grab her.

It was all she could do not to scream, and closed her eyes. She opened them a tiny bit to see how far she was to the ground, and saw that it was only about 15ft in front of her. Thankfully, there was an old sofa that had been disposed of. She landed with a thud, and stopped to catch her breath back, as the fall had winded her.

But when she saw Blade Sharks running around the corner, she got up quickly and sped off. She knew her way around the town like the back of her hand, so she knew all the best shortcuts and ways to lose people. She ran down the road and took a sharp right into an alley, and then right again so she was kinda running back on herself. She took another right a bit further down, and ducked down in the shadows. She looked out of a crack in the wall, and saw the Blade Sharks go racing down the road. They didn't go right like Toni had; they ran straight past it.

Toni breathed a sigh of relief, but it still didn't answer the question of where Tyson was. She couldn't do anymore about it at that moment, so decided to go back to Smithton and see if the others were still there.

When she got back to school and went to the back of the Gym, she saw the Bladebreaker VIPs, plus the Bladebreakers, but minus Tyson. She also saw someone walking towards them. She'd recognise that hair anywhere – it was Amber.

Amber didn't say anything; she just looked at the floor. She didn't know what to say, and she hadn't heard that they'd found out she was innocent.

"Amber? We owe you an apology." Said Ray, looking at her, as had saw Toni come up behind them.

"For what? You won't believe me that I didn't do it, so I wanna know what you're saying sorry for." Amber said. Her voice was very different. It was deeper, and huskier. Before it was chirpy and happy.

"That's the point though, Amber. We do believe you. I speak for all of us when I say this. You didn't steal Dragoon, and we hope you can forgive us for jumping to conclusions." Ray said, holding out his hand.

Amber looked at it as though it was going to bite her. They couldn't have found out yet, and how did she know they weren't going to betray her again.

"Please, Amber. We know it was Molly. Words can't describe how sorry we are. We'll give you time if you want to think about it. And if you want to, a few of us will be in the park on Saturday, OK?" Ray tried to persuade her.

Amber still didn't say anything. It wasn't that she didn't want to say anything; it was just that she didn't know what to say.

"So, maybe we'll see you then?" Ray said hopefully.

Amber shrugged, before walking off, leaving the rest of them behind, feeling confused.

Amber was confused herself. Wasn't that what she'd wanted? She'd wanted to make friends with the Bladebreakers again, and the VIPs, but when it came down to it, she couldn't find it in her heart to forgive them. She knew she wanted to, but when she thought about what they'd done to her, she couldn't.

When she got home, she did what she had done the last few days after school; she shut herself in her room, actually locking her door from the inside. She stood in front of her fully sized mirror, and tried to neaten her hair up, but truthfully, she couldn't be bothered.

She knew what she was gonna do next. She decided she was going to make friends with the Bladebreakers, as long as they listened to her and gave her some space first.

She logged onto the Internet, but didn't dare sign into MSN. She opened her email account, and into the recipients box, she typed in: Then in the subject box, she typed in: 'Hey'.

To Ray,

Please, I need to talk to you desperately, to set my mind straight. At the moment, it's just a field of running squirrels. Nothing will stop them running about and get into an order, and I think you can help me.

Will you meet me tomorrow morning at the crossing at the railway station? You know, where the road crosses with the tracks. I'll be waiting from 7.00am. Don't tell anyone, and come alone.

Love, Amber.

She hit the 'SEND' button, but then regretted it. She was glad she had sent it, but wished she hadn't at the same time.

She knew Ray would listen to her, unlike Tyson or Toni, who would just not pay attention. She wondered where Tyson was, though. He wasn't with the others when she had met up with them earlier, and she hadn't seen him all day thinking about it.

She quickly got changed into a comfy old nightie, and slid into bed. She wanted an early night, but she hadn't expected to get that tired that quickly. They'd waited for Toni before they started to apologise to Amber, and instead of waiting for the bus, she walked home slowly. So, when she'd added all the time up, she'd already wasted half the night, and it was about 7.00pm. Thankfully, she didn't have any homework, so she could've fell asleep right then, but she couldn't.

Instead, she got back out of bed and opened an empty rucksack. She shoved in a blanket and some snacks, and a bottle of water. Then she went and had a shower and washed her hair. While she was in there, she knew what she had to do next. She got out and dried herself, and then went and blow-dried her hair. She put it up neatly into one bunch on the back, right side of her head.

She got changed into a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt with a white sweatshirt over the top. Then she put on her grey body warmer, and put her gloves and a scarf in the rucksack with her other things. Then she managed to squash in her school things and zip it up.

As she went downstairs, she called to her dad, who was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper: "I'm sleeping over at a mates, Dad. See you tomorrow!" and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

The next morning, at 7.00am, Ray was walking towards the railway crossing. He'd received Amber's email quite late that night, but it was early enough for him to make it.

As he reached the crossing, he couldn't see anyone, just a vagrant lying in a blanket at the side. The vagrant had the blanket right over its head, and was sleeping.

Ray looked at it, and at first thought nothing of it, but then he took a double-glance. Did he just see red hair? He shook himself out of his confusion, and went slowly over to the sleeping person. He gradually pulled the blanket from over their head, and saw Amber.

"Amber?" he whispered, kneeling down next to her.

Amber rolled over so she was facing Ray, and then she opened her eyes. "Hey, Ray." She mumbled.

"What're you doing out here?" he asked, helping her to sit up.

"Last night, after I sent you that email, I knew that I would've woken up this morning and not wanted to come and meet you. So I came here last night to wait instead." She yawned, before coughing fiercely.

"You shouldn't have stayed out here. I mean, its only March, and its still cold." Ray said. "You know I wouldn't have minded if you didn't turn up."

"But why?" she said, in between coughs. "Everyone else would. How come you're different? You're so much nicer to me."

Ray just smiled. He helped Amber up, and he helped her back to his house, as it was only a few minutes walk.

"I think you'd better stay here for the day. You can't go to school like this." Ray said, and he tucked her up into his bed. Then he filled up his hot water bottle and gave it to her.

"Are you sure? I mean, won't your parents mind?" She asked, not wanting to intrude. She was thankful to Ray for helping her, but something was up. She didn't know what, but she didn't really want to stay there.

"No, my parents are hardly ever here, and don't worry, they won't turn up unexpectedly, as they phoned me last night and told me that they were in Ireland for a few days. You see, they work all around the country, so if I ever need any help I go to my mates. Make yourself feel at home, and help yourself to anything. I've got my mobile with me if you need me. I'll see you later, OK?" he said, tilting his head to the side.

"OK," she said meekly. She started coughing harshly again, so Ray went and got her some cough medicine and a spoon.

"Here. Have some now, and then take it again at midday, and then when I get back." He said, putting the bottle on the bedside cabinet.

"Thanks," she said quietly, and tipped some onto the spoon. She swallowed it, and then lay back down. Her eyes started drooping, and finally dropped off to sleep.

Ray kissed her forehead slightly, and then left the house.


	18. Chapter 18

Ray was sitting on the wall outside the school when Toni came traipsing along. Even though it was about 8.20am, she looked tired, unhappy and worried.

"Hey, Toni. What's up?" he asked, as she jumped onto the wall next to him.

"Tyson hasn't been in touch with me. I couldn't find him at all yesterday after lunch, and he didn't phone or email or anything last night. Then he didn't call for me this morning. Normally, Ty and me walk with Kel and Max, but Max said he hadn't heard from Tyson, and Kelly was still getting ready when Max turned up. So I left them to it." She said, plonking her head on her hands.

"Never mind. Maybe Tyson went home ill and went to bed as soon as he got in. You know what he's like – he'd sleep for years if we let him." Ray said, trying to lighten the mood.

Toni just about managed the tiniest smile.

"Yo, Toni!" came a voice.

Toni looked up, and saw the bright red hair of Tala. He was leaning against the gates of the school, smirking.

"Hey, Tala." She said glumly.

"Hey, who got killed?" He said, walking over.

"Tyson." She replied, looking at the floor again.

"What?!" Tala replied, looking shocked. "I was only joking . . . I mean, I didn't know . . ."

"What she means Tala, is that she hasn't heard from Tyson since yesterday lunchtime. She hates doing anything without him." Ray corrected Toni.

"Right. Well, you need to be a bit more independent, Tone. You can't sit and wait for Tyson all day everyday. Take my advice, cos some of it does work." Tala said.

Toni looked up again. 'I suppose Tala is right.' She thought.

"I wish you came here, Tala. You could tell me what to do." Toni said. "I mean, things have been getting so out of hand, especially with Kelly coming back."

"Who's Kelly?" Tala said, looking confused.

"Me, why? Who are you?" said Kelly, walking up behind him, her arm linked with Max's. They jumped up on the wall next to Toni.

"Tala. Why have you been messing up Toni's life?" Tala asked.

"Messing up her life? I think you've got the wrong person, cos I haven't. Have I, Tone?" she asked.

"Yes." Toni replied bluntly.

Kelly looked gobsmacked, as did Ray and Max. Toni hadn't mentioned this before; so how long had she felt like this? All week? Or had it only been a few days?

"Right." Said Kelly, holding back her tears, but still had a lump in her throat. "Well, if that's how you feel . . . see you." She said. She jumped off the wall, and put her bag back on her back.

"Wait . . ." started Max, and he started to get up after her, but Toni held him back.

"Let her go. She's bad luck, and that's why she went to the other school. Wherever she goes, bad luck follows her, and now she's been cursing me." She said, looking at Max.

Max listened to what Ton had to say, and then looked over at Kelly, who was now crossing the road. Max quickly thought about what Toni had said, but didn't care. Kelly had never been any bad luck to him, and any bad luck that had happened, he just thought as coincidence. He got up and put his bag on his back, and started to follow Kelly.

Then, everything seemed to go in slow motion. A huge 18-wheeler truck came steaming down the road, carrying a big tank of something, but it didn't say on the side what it was. Kelly had just reached the other side of the road, when a car coming the opposite direction crashed head on with the lorry.

Max ran forward, screaming Kelly's name, but Bryan, who had come looking for Tala, pulled him back and he dived onto the floor, dragging Max with him. Bryan had only come looking for Tala, but had seen the lorry and car go speeding towards each other.

"DUCK!" Yelled Tala, and Ray and Toni dived off the wall onto the floor.

They two vehicles burst into flames, and the tank that was on the back of the lorry must have been carrying some flammable liquid as it exploded and shook the ground. Screams emitted throughout the whole area, and everyone covered their heads with their arms.

Flames arose and were catching the trees, and hot ashes were getting thrown everywhere by the wind. Everyone was making their way into the nearest building, so Ray, Tala and Bryan forced Toni and Max into the school.

They pushed them into one of the classrooms, and Max was screaming at them to let him out, whereas Toni looked frozen with the shock. She went and sat in a corner, and rocked herself backwards and forwards. Bryan stood in front of the door so Max couldn't get out, and Tala went and sat with Toni. Ray pulled out his mobile and dialled 999, and asked for all the emergency services to attend an explosion and fire outside Smithton High School.

Meanwhile, Toni was sat, eyes open and not blinking, still rocking. She was murmuring random words, and Tala was trying to calm her down.

"No . . . fire . . . Kelly . . . didn't . . . life . . . fine . . ." Toni was mumbling.

"Ray, look at her. She doesn't need a doctor, she needs a psychologist!" Tala said.

"This is not the time for jokes, Tala." Ray growled.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, BRYAN! I NEED TO FIND KELLY!" Max was shouting. Max was punching and kicking Bryan as hard as he could, but Bryan was taking them bravely.

Ray's ears pricked up as he heard sirens in the distance. They were coming fast, as they were getting louder very quickly.

Ray couldn't kid himself. He knew there was no way Kelly could've survived the blast, as she had only just reached the pavement.

Toni was sitting in the corner, and was now trying to hide herself from everyone. She'd curled up into a small ball and was lying sideways on the floor. She felt so horrible, as she felt so guilty. It was her who had said Kelly had been messing up her life, and her who'd made Kelly go off, and her who'd made Kelly cross the road.

"Tala?" she whispered.

"Yeah?" Said Tala, grabbing her hand. "I'm here, and so are Ray, Max and Bryan. We'll be OK. Don't worry."

"What about Kelly? Will she be OK?" Toni whimpered.

"I don't know." Was all Tala could say. He couldn't exactly tell her there was no way Kelly would be OK after this. Toni was in too much a fragile state.

Meanwhile, Max had now given up trying to get past Bryan, and was now trying to hear any sign that Kelly was OK. He had his ear up against the wall that was closest to the accident.

Outside, the fire fighters were trying to extinguish the flames, and the police were trying to evacuate everyone from the buildings that were ablaze. The paramedics were looking for anyone with injuries, and anyone who had been at the heart of the blast.

"Help . . ." came a tiny voice.

The paramedics rushed over to a girl with brown hair who was crushed underneath a car door.

"Don't worry, honey. We'll get you out." They said, and they called some fire fighters over. "We've found one! We need a cutter, she's stuck!" Then they shouted to the police to take a description of her.

Max pushed his ear up harder against the wall. He needed to know.

"Unable to determine height, brown hair, hazel eyes, about 13 years old, slightly tanned, small nose piercing but no stud." Dictated a female paramedic to the police officer.

Max gasped. It was Kelly, no doubting it.

"No . . . time . . ." the girl said. "Tell Toni . . . sorry . . ." she said, and fell silent.

"No, hang on, love. You've got to fight. Stay strong!" encouraged the paramedic, and inside Max was shaking his head in disbelief.

The paramedic managed to get her hand by the girl's neck and checked for a pulse, but there was nothing.

"We've lost her." Said a male paramedic quietly, but it seemed like someone had yelled it down Max's ear.

"No . . ." said Max, and he fell to his knees. Tears were sliding down his cheeks, and he was trying to block his ears as though he hadn't heard what the paramedic had said.

He started quietly, but got louder and louder, until he was finally screaming again. "NO! It can't be . . ." he sobbed.

Toni started hyperventilating. She'd been listening carefully to Max's reactions, and knew straight away. Kelly had gone.

"Bryan – Max. Tala – Toni." Directed Ray, and he left the classroom. Bryan went over to where Max was kneeling, and tried to comfort him, even though he knew there was nothing he could do or say to make him feel better.

Tala was quietly talking to Toni, telling her to take long deep breaths, and to sit up straight, but Toni was having none of it. She ended up muttering again, but it was the same word, over and over. "Sorry."

Ray had slowly opened the school door and went outside, shielding his eyes from the ash with his hands, and covering his mouth with his the neck of his top. He went over to one of the paramedics.

"Excuse me, have you found a teenager with shoulder length brown hair?" he said.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to take cover. This area is still very unstable. Go into the school there – someone will be in to inform you of everything a bit later on." the paramedic said, before rushing off.

Ray groaned. He'd come out to get some answers, but he obviously wasn't going to get any unless he searched for himself.

He stepped lightly on pieces of debris of car that had been blown apart from the blast. He started calling Kelly's name, just in case there was a slight chance that she was OK. There was no answer, or even any sign of her, but then he saw a small glint of light as he turned around. Ray's cat-like senses made him turn back around and look straight at the small wink of light. He bent down to get a closer look, and he saw it was Kelly's nose stud. He picked it up and then looked around for any other sign of Kelly, but only saw two paramedics with a stretcher covered with a white cloth.

It was unmistakable that it was Kelly, even though there was nothing to say that it was. Ray closed his eyes slowly and bowed his head slightly, gripping the tiny stud in his hand.

Ray sighed and went back into the school. He went into the room, and saw Max hitting his head off the blackboard, with Bryan trying to stop him. Toni was now crying her heart out, and Tala never looked more out of place.

Ray ran over to Max, and grabbed his arm. Max stopped and looked at Ray hopefully, but Ray shook his head slightly. He held out his hand to Max, showing the mini stud. Max just stared at it. He couldn't bring himself to take it, even though he wanted to so badly.

"Ray . . . could you come and take over from me?" Tala said, jerking his head to Toni. Ray nodded, before taking Max's hand and putting the stud in his palm. Max clasped it in his hand, and Ray went over to sit with Toni.

"Toni . . . I don't know what to say." Ray said. He knew he needed to talk to her, but he didn't have a clue what to say.

"Tell me she's OK." Toni whimpered.

"I wish I could . . ." Ray said, and Toni hugged up to him. She needed comfort, and right now she didn't care who from. Tyson wasn't around, and he was the first person she would've gone to, and the next person would've been Kelly . . . but she knew there was no seeing Kelly again, let alone being comforted by her.

"I'm so sorry. Ray, I wish I could just go back. I wish I'd never said anything." She cried. "I never told her how I really felt!"

"I'm sure she knew. She'll still be watching out for us all, and will never forget about us. Especially you." He said, stroking her arm.

Toni soon cried herself to sleep, and Ray, Max, Tala and Bryan had nothing to do. Bryan went out to see how long they'd be, and when they'd be able to come out. Even then they were told to stay in the building, and about another hour later, two paramedics came in.

"Will you please make your way into the main hall. Everything we know will be explained there." Said one of the paramedics.

Every person in the school was ushered into the school hall, whether they had anything to do with the school or not. The paramedics and the head teacher stood on the stage for a few minutes, whispering in low voices.

Then the head teacher clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, and the hall fell silent. Toni was hanging onto Max now, and Max tried to keep strong now, for Toni's sake if not his own.

"As you're all aware, there was an accident right outside earlier. This is Kayleigh Levett and Paul Ruaware, the first paramedics to attend the scene. I'll let them explain the rest to you." Said the head teacher, before stepping back. The two paramedics stepped forward.

"I'm sorry to inform you that 15 people have been injured, 7 critically wounded, and 3 didn't make it, as they were at the heart of the blast. We have been able to identify them, as all three were carrying identification, but we cannot reveal them at the present time." Explained Kayleigh Levett.

"What we can tell you is that two were male, which we believe were the drivers, and one female, who we believe came to this school." Added Paul Ruaware.

People gasped from all around the room and Toni just fell to the floor. It had more or less been proved, and there was no way she'd ever see Kelly again.


	19. Chapter 19

Amber woke up at about 11.00am. At first, she forgot where she was, but then remembered she was at Ray's. She yawned and stretched out, and actually felt a bit better than she did earlier that morning.

Amber stopped dead still and fell soundless. She had heard someone open the front door. It couldn't be Ray, as he was at school, and he said that his parents were in Ireland. 'Oh no!' She thought. 'Don't say someone's breaking in!'

She shot up out of bed and went and slowly opened the door. She couldn't see anyone, and then, before slowly walking out, she grabbed hold of a baseball bat that was leaning against the wall.

She gripped it tightly in her hands as she walked along the hallway, and looked downstairs. She couldn't see anyone still, and the door had been shut. She crept down the stairs, and heard the door of the fridge open. There was someone in the kitchen.

She tiptoed to the corner of the kitchen, and then, brandishing the baseball bat, she ran into the kitchen, screaming.

But there was no one there. She glanced around to look at the fridge, but no one was there either. She could've sworn she's heard it open. She slowly went into the dining room, which was off the kitchen, and someone jumped out on her from inside a small cupboard. He put his hand over Amber's mouth to stop her from screaming, and with his other hand he held her arm by her side, so she couldn't move it.

He pushed her forward through to the living room, and pushed her face down onto the sofa. As soon as he let go, Amber turned around and shot up off the sofa with her eyes closed, waving the baseball bat fiercely. She hit the intruder on his shoulder, but before she could hit him again, he had grabbed hold of the baseball bat with his bare hand.

"Get out!" Cried Amber, trying to get the baseball bat back so she could hit him again.

"Amber! Whoa, calm down! It's only me!" said the intruder. Well, at least Amber had thought it was an intruder.

Amber stopped waving the baseball bat and opened her one eye. She was still a bit scared, but then she saw the familiar face of Ray.

"Oh my God, Ray! You scared the hell out of me!" she said, before taking a deep breath and flopping back onto the sofa.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I thought you were still asleep, so I tried to be as quiet as I could." He said, rubbing his shoulder.

"Oh!" said Amber, her hand flying to her mouth as she looked at Ray's shoulder. It was swelling up. "I'm so sorry! I . . . didn't know it was you! I thought . . . oh I'm so sorry, Ray!" Amber said, standing up and looking at it properly. It was bright red and still swelling.

"It doesn't matter. It didn't hurt that much." He said. "But that doesn't mean you can do it again."

Amber laughed. Trust Ray to make a joke out of it. But then she remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"What are you doing back? I mean, I didn't think you were allowed back at break times." She asked.

"Erm," hesitated Ray. He couldn't tell her about the accident. He hadn't got the heart to. "I told the school I had to come home because of an emergency." He said quickly.

"What? Me? No, I'm not. Am I?" Asked Amber.

"You're not in any real danger, but you are an emergency." He said, smiling a bit.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Whatever you want it to, I suppose." He shrugged.

Amber thought about it, but then shrugged it off. She was still feeling a bit sluggish, and couldn't be bothered to work it out at that particular moment in time.

"Oh, and they let me have the rest of today off. Something like leave of absence." Ray said, trying to sound innocent.

"Well I suppose you can't moan at that, can you?" Amber said, smiling properly now. She was feeling a bit better by the minute and was hoping that she would feel 100 better later on.

Ray smiled back. He forced himself to, as he knew there was no way he could smile naturally. He held back his real emotions, and tried to act as happy as he could without feeling disrespectful to Kelly.

The next day, Toni was sitting on a bench in the park. She was the first to arrive, and ended up just wandering around the park mindlessly. She'd sat down for a while at first, but couldn't keep still.

"Hey Toni!" came a cheerful voice.

Toni looked around, and saw the happy and bright face of Zeo.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he ran up to her. Her eyes had black circles under them; it was clear she hadn't slept.

"Oh, nothing." Said Toni. She was determined not to say it, because she didn't want herself to. If she did, it would be like it was no big deal, but it was the biggest deal for Toni ever.

"I know something's up." Zeo said, looking straight in her eyes. "What're you doing here by yourself? Surely someone would've come with you."

"Nope. Just little old me." Toni said mournfully.

"Well, have you and Kelly fell out again? Last time you fell out you weren't together . . . Hey! I'm sorry, what have I done?" Zeo said, as tears started sliding down Toni's face.

"It's not what you've done. It's what I did. And what I can never change. And what I never got to say." She said, trying to stop herself from blubbing. If she was going to cry, it would just be tears, and she had made a promise to herself to not sob her heart out again, even though she knew it was impossible.

"Well, do you wanna talk about it? I'm sorry if I said anything wrong . . ." started Zeo again, and he put his arm over her shoulder.

"No, it's not what you said." Toni said, sniffing and pulling away. "I suppose I'll have to face the truth sooner or later. Kelly's . . ." But she couldn't finish her sentence. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Kelly is . . ." But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't.

Thankfully, Kai and Cassidy came around the corner, deep in conversation, but stopped as soon as they saw Toni and Zeo.

"Hi guys!" said Cassidy. "Oh my god! Did you see the explosion outside school yesterday? Me, Kai, Kenny and Danny were walking down the road, when the lorry crashed! Thankfully, we were still quite a way away, so we're OK. Some woman pulled us into her house until it was safe, so we had to be polite and eat her cardboard cookies . . . what's wrong?"

Toni didn't say anything. More tears emerged from her eyes, and she just sat on the floor.

"Hey . . . what's wrong?" Cassidy said, going over and sitting down next to her.

Kelly's best friend. And she didn't even know. Toni knew she had to tell her, if no one else, but she had to tell Cassidy.

"Cass, I need a word with you." She said, looking at the floor.

"Sure, anything." Cassidy said quietly. Kai and Zeo got the message, so they wandered away to the gate of the park. There, they saw Amber and Ray, walking quite slowly.

Amber looked quite happy and was nattering away to Ray as though tomorrow would never come. But Ray was just nodding occasionally, and wasn't talking much at all. 'What do Toni and Ray know that we don't?' Kai thought.

Meanwhile, Toni had stopped crying and was trying to think of the best way to put it. She couldn't just say it out loud; it would break Cassidy's heart. She knew that she had to do it gently, as Cassidy had known Kelly ever since Madame Luton's.

"Cass. I really don't know how to tell you this . . ." Toni said, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. "You talking about the explosion outside school . . . well me, Ray, Max, Kelly, Tala and Bryan, my other two mates, were sitting outside school. I won't fill you in on an exact description of what happened next, but things were said that I truly regret, and Kelly walked off across the road." she started. She took a deep breath and knew this was going to be the worst part. "The lorry and the car crashed just as Kelly reached the pavement . . . and . . . she didn't make it." And Toni burst into tears again.

She'd broken her promise, and was feeling doubly worse than she had before she'd come to the park.

Cassidy sat there in shock and disbelief. Kelly had always pulled through everything, no matter how much the fates were against her. But the fates must have been just too strong.

It seemed to take a while before the news sunk in, and then Cassidy just broke down. She couldn't say a word, and just sobbed her heart out.

Ray was relieved that Cassidy knew; yet he felt so sorry for her. He was glad he wasn't the one breaking the news to her, but now he felt it was his duty to tell Kai, Zeo and Amber, as they were still waiting patiently.

But just before Ray started telling them, Toni got up and walked to them. While she was upset, she thought it would be best to tell them now, rather than get back to normal, and then get upset again.

She took a few deep breaths before she started, and couldn't look any of them in the eyes. She had stared Cassidy out when she told her, and the pain in her eyes was still fresh in her mind.

Kai and Zeo looked shocked, and didn't say a word. They didn't cry, as they felt they hadn't known her very well, but even though Amber had known her for just a week, Kelly had been a good friend and had stood up for her when in doubt. It was Kelly who had got her involved with the Bladebreakers, and her who had stood by her when the others proclaimed her guilty.

Amber went through a few stages, but each one flew by quite quickly, via one. Firstly – disbelief. Amber's hand flew to her mouth in incredulity, which seemed stuck there at first. Then came denial. She started shaking her head, but then the realization of the news actually hit her, and she broke down into silent sobs. That was the longest stage that Amber went through. She was crying to herself for a few minutes, but then another stage came to her. Pity. She pitied Toni for having to go through this alone, as she felt that Tyson really should be around to comfort her. Amber held back her tears as best she could, and went over to Toni who was still crying from when she told them all. She put her arm around her neck and gave her a hug.

Even though this wasn't the best time to think this, Amber thought that this would bring everyone closer together, and she and Toni would end up like sisters, though she knew she could never replace Kelly.

"I've gotta stop crying like this. If I have to tell everyone, I'll probably dehydrate." Said Toni, trying to make a joke out of it.

Everyone laughed nervously, to try to get Toni's spirit up. They all felt extremely sorry for Toni, as now she would be on her own at home, apart from her mom and dad, but she wouldn't be able to talk to them like she used to be able to talk to Kelly. Plus, she had considered telling everyone herself, so no one else could tell people, only she could.

"Come on, Toni. You've gotta let us help you. You can't tell everyone by yourself, it'd be too depressing. Please, let us give you a hand, cos I think this is when you really need your friends. Us." Advised Kai.

"And think about it, Tone. This is one of the only times you'll get Kai offering to help, so I'd jump at the chance." Added Ray, getting a bit of a glare off Kai.

Toni nodded, and whispered OK, and then tried to have a normal conversation with them, but everyone seemed on edge still.

A bit later on, Kenny, Danny, Hilary, Mariah, Salima and Emily were sitting with them at the park, and had all heard the news. They all gave their sympathy, and didn't know what to say. But when Toni said she was actually starting to understand that there was more to death than grief, everyone relaxed a bit, and knew that Toni was still upset, but didn't want to hold it down on everyone else.

"So, what's the word on the block?" said Ozuma, walking up to them all, followed by Joseph and Dunga.

"You do have the most perfect timing, you know." Said Kenny, rolling his eyes.

"What have we done now?" said Dunga. "It's not like we've killed anyone . . ." And tears started forming in Toni's eyes.

Ray shot up and pulled the three male members of the Saint Shields away from Toni and the others.

"Put your big foot in it, why don't you?!" Ray snapped.

"I'm not disagreeing, but what's No-Neck done now?" asked Joseph, and as usual, getting a glare from Dunga.

"Yesterday, Toni's sister died. She got caught in a car crash, and didn't make it. Toni not only feels upset, but guilty as well, as she thinks she was the one to make her walk off in the first place." Ray explained quietly.

"Was it the same girl that was in the hospital not that long ago?" Ozuma asked. "Boy, she hasn't had much luck."

"And it's the same person that told us Dragoon had been stolen. Mariam had told me about her before I met her." Joseph said.

"So shut up about it, yeah?" Ray said, before going back over to the others, where Toni had calmed herself down before she'd started crying again.

Ozuma, Joseph and Dunga looked at each other before walking after Ray and sitting down with them all.

"So, has anyone seen Mariam lately? She's been at school and whatever, but she's been pretty distant, if you know what I mean." Said Mariah.

"Yeah, I totally know what you're saying. She's been talking to us and stuff in lessons, but only like a short sentence. Normally, she'd natter on for Britain, but the past few days . . . something's going on, and she's not telling us." Agreed Salima.

"Has she said anything to you, Joseph?" Asked Hilary.

"Nope. At home we normally keep to ourselves, and if we do talk, it's about Saint Shield stuff." He shrugged.

"Thinking about it, Mariam hasn't been coming to train or anything in the basement of the abandoned store." Said Ozuma.

"Yeah, and she hasn't been meeting us on the mornings before school, and will rarely wait for us either." Contemplated Emily.

"We need to find out what's going on." concurred Mariah. Everyone else nodded their heads in agreement, and then they all looked at Joseph.

"Why me?!" He asked, putting his hands out in a questioning way.

"Because: A) You're her brother; B) You can look in her room and stuff without her noticing; and C) You can follow her. You followed us around last year, and the scientists, so why don't you wanna do it again?" Asked Ray.

"Well. . . have you seen her room? It's like a death trap! You walk in there, not knowing where everything is, you trip over a guitar, fall over, and she comes storming in on a murderous rampage!" he said, and everyone started laughing.

"Well there you go! Obviously you've done it before, so it won't be a problem, will it? Oh, just remember, don't trip over the guitar!" Said Toni, laughing.

"Fine. But remember, you owe me." He said, pointing at them all.

About lunchtime, they all wandered down to the local Gregg's, and bought themselves a snack, whereas Toni must've bought the whole shop. The nibbled their pasties or baguettes as they walked back down to the park, and saw Max sitting on the bridge over the river.

His legs were dangling over the side, and he was throwing stones into the deep river below. He was too far away for anyone to see his face, but close enough to tell that he wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone.

They all went and sat back down where they had been before, and were still eating. Toni had a plastic bag with all her food in, and was now eating a slice of pizza like the world was going to end.

"What did you buy?! Did you leave anything in there?!" Zeo asked in amazement.

"Yep!" Toni grinned. "I got my pizza," she said, holding up the slice of pepperoni pizza. "I got . . ." and she looked in her bag. "Cheese and onion pasty, corned beef and onion pasty, cheese baguette, 3 packets of ready salted crisps, 2 cans of Lilt, a blueberry muffin and . . . some complimentary crackers." She said, holding up a packet of crackers.

"What are the crackers for?" Cassidy asked.

"I dunno. Probably because they thought I must have been hungry." She said, shrugging.

"Well, chuck 'em away. They're probably mouldy anyway. And if they're not, you can't eat crackers without butter or cheese or summat." Danny said.

"You wanna bet?" said Toni, and she opened the packet of crackers and started eating them plain.

"Ew!" everyone said, shuddering but laughing.

"Aren't they dry?" asked Kenny.

Toni nodded and smiled, before having to cover her mouth and cough, as they were just a bit too dry.

Kai looked in Toni's bag and pulled out one of the cans of Lilt, opened it, and then passed it to her, where she gave him a thumbs-up sign in return. She took a long swig, and took a deep breath. She passed it around to everyone else, as no one had bought a drink.

"Oh, I've been holding on to something of yours for ages! Well, seems like forever. Especially when I started training; kept going nuts!" said Kai, and out of his pocket he got hold of a white Beyblade. He held it out in his palm, and Toni's hand shot to her mouth, before it shot out and snatched it from Kai's hand. Toni grabbed it so quickly that the blade had disappeared from Kai's hand before he even noticed Toni had lunged to get it.

"Hey, hey! No need to snatch!" he said.

"I can't believe I forgot about you, Crysticle! I'm so sorry!" Toni said, stroking her blade. "Here, I'll let you have a stretch. So, who's up for a battle? Or are you all too scared I'll beat you? How about you Ty . . . oh. Amber? You up for it?"

"Yeah, OK." Amber said, jumping up.

"Hang on a minute." Said Ozuma, holding up one finger. "Where is the reigning World Champion? He can't have left you to it, can he?"

"We . . . don't know where Tyson is. Last time we saw him was on Thursday lunchtime. None of us have heard from him since." Shrugged Cassidy.

Ozuma looked at Joseph and Dunga in a knowing way, before they all walked off without saying a word.

"Well, what do we do now? Do we go after them?" Asked Salima.

"No, we start our battle, right Amber?" Toni said, slipping Crysticle into her launcher and walking over to one of the arenas.

"Right!" Said Amber, doing the same with Julekoy and joining Toni at the dish.

"OK. Do you two mind if I collect information?" Kenny asked, opening Dizzi's lid.

"Not at all. Then you can try and figure out how I beat Toni!" Said Amber, grinning.

"No, the point of collecting data is to show that Crysticle overcomes all!" Toni grinned back.

"OK, OK. Enough trash talk. Dizzi is set to record, so in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . LET IT RIP!" cried Kenny.

Both Amber and Toni pulled their ripcords out (Amber with not as much force as Toni), and the white blade shot into the dish first, closely followed by the yellow blade with sky blue dashes through it. Amber's yellow and sky blue blade was extremely close to Toni's white one, and it was astounding that none of them were touching, and it seemed that they were both going exactly the same speed.

"Whoa. Kenny, what's the low-down so far?" Asked Emily.

"Amazing! Both RPM's are exactly the same! 67,842!"

"Erm, I don't mean to sound dumb or anything, but what are RPM's?" Cassidy asked, hoping none of them would laugh or take the piss.

"RPM. Rotations Per Minute." Kai explained.

"Oh, OK. I'm guessing that's a lot." Cassidy said, her focus turning back to the battle.

"Yeah, considering that Tyson's, the World Champ, has had something like 71,592, that's pretty quick." Kai explained further. "But thinking about it, now he's more experienced, I reckon he could push himself a little further."

"What are your RPM's, Kai?" Cassidy asked, looking up at him.

"Why?" he asked, looking sideways at her.

"No reason." She said, looking back at the battle again.

Kai smirked. She was so curious, but curiosity killed the cat, and Cassidy was very much like a cat. "If you must know, my RPM's are approximately 74,855." He said. "But remember, speed isn't everything."

"I'll try to keep that in mind." She said.

"Are you finished yet? I've been waiting patiently for you lot to stop talking so you can watch me beat her!" Amber said.

"In your dreams. You've been chasing me for ages, and you're not getting anywhere. What makes you think that cos they're all watching you'll catch me?" Toni asked.

"Cos they need to watch carefully. Ready, and . . . Julekoy!" summoned Amber.

A streak of blue and yellow shot from Amber's white bit-chip. Small dots of glitter rained down and sprinkled everything: the floor, the arena, the Beyblades, people.

"You're telling me you need to watch carefully. You know me, Amber. I don't do fast. I've seen Julekoy before, but slow it down a bit, for little old me?" Danny said, giving her puppy-dog eyes. The others nodded, including Toni. None of them could see what Amber's bit beast looked like, as it was moving so fast. All they could see was a trail of dropping glitter that must have been falling from it.

"Fine. I suppose Toni will need to see which bit beast defeated her. Julekoy, slow it down a bit." Ordered Amber.

Where the trail of glitter started, the blur of blue and yellow slowed. But then, before anyone had a chance to see it, it shot up into the air, so no one could see it again. Then the glitter trail was falling in one place, and then started going the way it had just came, and then carried on going the way it was going in the first place.

"Can't it make up its mind which way it's going?" Hilary said, tapping her foot impatiently. She had the same problem a few years ago, before she could see bit beasts, and didn't want to go through it again.

"I don't think it's changing direction." Kenny said, doing a replay of where the glitter dropped.

"You're right, Chief. By the looks of it, that was a loop." Dizzi said in her metallic voice.

"Julekoy! Stop showing off, and slow down!" Directed Amber. Then she quickly glanced back to the others. "Sorry. She's a bit lively."

A sweet yet short song emitted from the beginning of the trail of glitter. Everyone fell silent to listen to this beautiful song. Then suddenly, the trail of glitter stopped. And in its place stood a yellow and sky-blue blue jay with pointed wings and tail. Its sharp claws scratched across the floor as she landed, but didn't wear any of it away. On Julekoy's face was a glittery facemask, and her bright green eyes shone through.

"OK, has everyone seen her? Good. Take off again Julekoy!" said Amber, who was obviously enjoying herself, by teasing others with her bit beast.

Julekoy jumped in the air and with one powerful swoop of her wings; she was off again, leaving another trail of glitter.

"Why does that glitter keep falling Amber? It's messing up my hair." Joked Danny, pretending to pick one piece of glitter out at a time.

"You are so dead when I finish this battle, Dan." Said Amber. "If you must know, it's because of the speed Julekoy is travelling; it falls off of her facemask. Now shut up so I can concentrate."

"Yes, mom." Danny mimicked.

"Make that double-dead." Amber said.

"While you two grannies are arguing, let's see some real power, not a Pop Idol. Crysticle!" summoned Toni.

Toni's pure white stag with silver hooves, silver antlers with crystal icicles hanging off them, and shadow-grey eyes emerged from her sky blue bit-chip.

"So what? Power's good, but only if you can catch me first!" Amber said. "Julekoy! Keep up the good work!"

"Who says I need to catch you?" Toni said. "Glimmering Ice! Stop that bird in its tracks!"

Crysticle reared up onto its two hind legs, and a ball of hot ice (so it wouldn't freeze while being compressed) started to form between its antlers. Crysticle looked at the beginning of the trail of glitter, and shot a beam of ice from the ball at it. But by the time the beam of ice reached the beginning of the trail of glitter, it had carried on somewhere else.

"Too slow." Amber said, crossing her arms.

"Fine. I don't have to be quick for this to work. Crysticle, Crystal Light!" Toni instructed.

The ball of ice that had been gathering between Crysticle's antlers was dropped to the floor, where it immediately hardened, and then he shot out a bright beam of light, so no one could see anything, apart from him and Toni, who had trained themselves to look through it.

"I gotta say – that's an impressive move you've got there. But who says we have to see?" Amber contemplated. "For now, anyway. Julekoy, Sweet Melody."

Julekoy stopped flying and landed perfectly on the floor. She opened her beak wide and started singing a soft, soothing song.

Crysticle's head started to droop and loll on its shoulders, and its legs started going wobbly.

"Crysticle! Pay attention to the battle!" Toni pleaded.

"He can't hear you. He's mesmerised by Julekoy's song, and is slowly drifting off to sleep. But if you don't like watching him go to sleep slowly, I'll quicken it up for you." Amber said sweetly.

"No, thanks. Crysticle doesn't fall asleep on the job. He's just had a few days of doing that in Kai's pocket. Crysticle! We can't lose this battle!" Toni said encouragingly.

But Crysticle dropped down and fell asleep on the floor, and just as he did, the light that had been dispersed from Crysticle disappeared, and the light went back to its natural state.

"OK, now Julekoy, we'll power-up your Tail Slice. Attack the ball of ice that Crysticle left. It should shatter and pelt him with icicles." Amber said.

"Nice strategy." Said Kenny quietly. "But I can see one problem with it." he said to Dizzi.

"And what's that, Chief?" Dizzi asked.

"I think you're about to find out." He said.

Julekoy had flown back up into the air, and had sped away. Then she looped around and came speeding back towards the battle. Then she spun around sideways in mid-flight, and sent a jolt of pure air rushing towards the ice ball. The air hit it at an angle, shattering the ice and sending icicles, just like Amber had said it would, at Crysticle.

"Here's your answer, Dizzi." Said Kenny.

The icicles hit Crysticle, as Amber predicted, but she didn't think of one thing. Ice was Crysticle's element, so anything to do with that element touching him would get rid of any status – poison, paralysis, burn, and of course, sleep.

As soon as the icicles touched Crysticle, he jumped up, ready to fight.

"In your face, Amber!" shouted Toni, jumping up and down.

"Nope. Not my face. Better watch Crysticle's face. Julekoy, as fast as you can, Lucky V!" Amber yelled.

Julekoy flapped her wings as fast as she could and shot up into the sky. Then she held her wings up at an angle, so from the front her body looked like a 'V' shape. Then, she formed images of herself along the shape of the 'V', and they turned into actual bit beasts. Then they all shot down, wings against their backs so they were streamlined, and their beaks all pierced into Crysticle's face.

"Too bad birds can't fly in snowstorms. Crysticle! Arctic Frost!" Toni said, thrusting her arm forward.

Crysticle's eyes clouded over, clouds formed in the sky. Snow started falling, and then it turned into a blizzard.

"Julekoy! Higher! Get above the snowstorm!" Amber said, pointing upwards.

Julekoy nodded her head, and like before, shot up into the sky. She flew forwards and up at the same time, going forwards to avoid the blizzard that was rapidly gaining on her.

She managed to just about get out of reach of the blizzard, and hovered above, waiting for another order from Amber. Meanwhile, Crysticle was making the snowstorm even more powerful, to try and drag Julekoy down with the winds, as he couldn't make it go any higher than the clouds.

Amber was trying to think. The noise of Toni shouting and encouraging Crysticle plus the sound of the snowstorm was blocking her thought path, and couldn't think. Then an idea struck her, just as the icicles had struck Crysticle.

"Julekoy, dive down **_with_** the winds. Don't try and fight them, go with the flow." Amber directed.

Julekoy didn't understand why her master was asking her to do this, but trusted her with her life. She dove down into the winds, flapping her wings to keep her up, but letting the wind move her.

The winds of the snowstorm were strong, and were spinning around in the same way of that of a whirlpool. The snow was heavy, and was battering against Julekoy.

The wind spun Julekoy around, and then she was heading directly for Crysticle. But Toni saw her coming.

"Crysticle, Glimmering Ice!" she bawled, at exactly the same time Amber ordered Julekoy to use Tail Slice.

The beam of ice and the jolt of air met right in the middle of the two bit beasts, and created a small explosion, causing both bit beasts to retreat to their chip, and both blades to depart the arena.

"Aww, no fair!" protested Toni, picking up both of their blades.

"Why was it not fair? Seemed OK to me." Said Amber, walking over to Toni's side of the dish and taking her own blade from Toni's hand.

"Cos Crysticle wasn't ready. He's been without me for a couple of days, so hasn't had much practise." Toni claimed.

"You have to be ready for a battle, whether you've practised or not." Ray said.

Toni just closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him. Ray laughed, and then proclaimed the battle to be a tie.


	20. Chapter 20

Meanwhile, Max was watching the battle from the bridge. 'How can they just battle at a time like this?' he thought. 'That's so disrespectful.' He thought that Toni of all people wouldn't be battling; yet she was the one taking part.

He looked down into the deep river, and saw his reflection. His face wasn't at all like it normally was. Instead of being bright and cheery, it was dull and depressing. Instead of having innocence in his eyes, he had remorse and guilt, even though the event that took place was to do with no fault of his own.

He couldn't bear looking at himself a minute longer. He scraped his hand along the floor, picking up stones, glass, rubbish, anything that was there, and chucked it into the river with a loud cry.

When the others heard a cry, they all automatically looked up at Max, who was getting up and storming off. His hands were deep in his pockets, and he was scraping his feet across the floor.

"Now, we can't ignore that." Said Cassidy, getting up. "Please, let me talk to him first. By myself. I need to have a quiet word with him." She said, as the others started to get up as well.

"OK. We'll keep an eye out, but don't wander off too far." Hilary said.

"Thanks." Said Cassidy gratefully.

Hilary's understanding of the need for a quiet chat with someone was a great thing to have in a group like this. There would always be some conflicts, no matter how close they all were, and it was someone like Hilary that would help to sort them out. Her great gift of giving advice was one of her best qualities. The thing she insisted on most of all though, was how treasured friends should be. 'Don't undervalue the necessity of a friend,' was the saying she used most of all, but it was closely followed by, 'Never judge a book by its cover,' as she believed that no matter how someone looked, they should never be underestimated.

Cassidy walked up the hill from the park and then along the short woodland walk to the bridge. As she reached the bridge, she saw Max on the opposite side, just turning around the corner. She hurried across the bridge, and turned the corner. But he had already gone. There were that many different side roads and alleyways, Cassidy had no way of telling which way he went.

She sighed, annoyed with herself that she'd lost him. She turned around, and was about to start crossing the bridge, when she saw a swish of familiar dark blue hair turn down an alleyway. Mariam.

She didn't know whether to follow or go and tell the others first. She contemplated the thought for a moment, and then decided that it would be best to follow her, as if she went back and told the others, Mariam might have gone by then.

Cassidy slowly walked up to the alleyway, but stopped before she got into view. She peeped around the corner, and saw Mariam leaning against a wall. She was obviously waiting for someone.

Cassidy was about to step out and confront Mariam, but then someone appeared from down the other end of the alleyway, so she stayed put. The person was clearly a male, but it was a bit difficult to see any significant features, as the light was very limited.

The male walked up to Mariam, who stood up properly when she saw him. She leaned forward towards him, and her lips locked with his.

Cassidy gasped. How could she have not told anyone? It was understandable that she hadn't told her or the Bladebreakers, but Cassidy was sure that Mariam would've told Mariah, Emily, Salima and Hilary.

Then Cassidy got even more of a shock. The light suddenly increased, as the clouds that had been blocking the sunlight moved, and sunlight poured into the alleyway. It was the same person that she and quite a few other people had had a bad first impression of. He wasn't exactly one to socialise.

Had she not heard about their unpleasant encounter with him? Had she not heard the news about Kelly? Had she been ignoring her friends to play tongue tennis with him, him of all people?

Cassidy tore her eyes away, and rushed back across the bridge to the others.

"Wow. That was quick." Said Emily.

"No, not really. I followed him over the bridge, but I lost him down all the different alleyways and side roads." Cassidy said, sitting on the low wall behind them all.

"Well, it shouldn't have took you that long then if you lost him over the bridge." Amber said.

"That's because I saw another good friend of ours." Cassidy said. No one said anything, so she decided it would be best to tell them all straight away. "Well, Joseph, I don't think you'll have to worry about snooping about her room. We've been talking about Mariam not waiting for us, and being pretty distant, yeah?" she asked first.

The others nodded, and glanced sideways at one another. Cassidy must have seen Mariam, but something wasn't good about it, they could all tell.

"Well . . ." started Cassidy, looking up at the sky, as if she needed inspiration. "After I lost Max, I saw some dark blue hair turn down one of the alleyways, and I instantly knew it was Mariam. I peeped around the corner, and was just about to go and talk to her when . . . I saw someone appear at the other end. And then they . . . kissed."

Everyone looked quite shocked.

"Mariam's had loads of boyfriends before, so why do you think she hasn't told us about this one?" Hilary asked her other three best friends.

"I dunno. Maybe she's too ashamed of him to introduce us." Suggested Mariah.

"No, I think it's because she doesn't want us asking all those pesky questions. You know, like when you say give us all the details, no matter how small. That sorta thing." Salima said.

"Maybe she just isn't ready to tell us yet?" thought Emily aloud.

"I think the reason is you'd say he's a bad influence." Cassidy said, feeling awkward.

Their jaws dropped open. "You know who it is?!" They all asked in unison and in awe.

"Yeah. It's our good friend Josh Clarke." Cassidy stated.

"No way!" they gasped.

"That evil bastard? Oh my God . . . of all the people in the world, and she had to choose him." Toni said.

"I think she was better off when she was going out with that Italian guy . . . what was his name?" asked Emily.

"Oh! You mean Marco Pualo. Yeah, they were both so cute together! He was really nice as well, personality-wise and appearance-wise, so how come she dumped him?" wondered Salima aloud.

"Marco Pualo? Oh my God!" Zeo exclaimed. "He's the guy that's always fighting against the Government, isn't he? I know him because he used to come to the gym and make speeches and stuff. Did she really go out with him?"

"Yep. It was getting quite serious though, and I don't think Mariam was ready for that. Obviously she is now." Hilary stated.

"We need to talk to her. Ask her why she didn't tell us. Shall we go now?" Asked Mariah.

"No, not now. I think the best time would be at school, that way, she can't escape from us and has to answer our questions." Emily said.

"Yeah, OK." Agreed the others.

"Erm . . . guys?" said Hilary, feeling awkward. "Can you leave this to us please? I don't mean to be rude, but we've known Mariam a lot longer than you have. I think she'll prefer confiding in us. And Joseph, don't you dare say anything to her to even hint that we know what she thinks we don't know." Joseph just shrugged.

"No, we don't mind. Just try and get some sense into her head for us, OK?" said Cassidy, answering for all of them.

"OK. Hey, Em, Mariah, Hil, come over to my house now and we can figure out what to say." Said Salima, standing up and brushing off her trousers.

"OK." they said, standing up and brushing themselves off too. "See you all tomorrow. If we don't, see you at school. Bye!" they all said, before walking off.

Toni waved a short goodbye, but then her hands dived back into her plastic Gregg's bag. She pulled out one of her bags of crisps, and put it on the floor next to her, while she searched in her bag for the blueberry muffin.

Danny's hand shot out slyly and grabbed the bag of crisps silently; the others had to stifle their laughs. Danny put it on Dizzi's keyboard, which Toni couldn't see as Dizzi's screen was facing away from her.

Toni pulled out the blueberry muffin in triumph, and went to pick up her bag of crisps, but her hand stopped as she went to pick them up. They weren't there.

"Hey, did anyone see what I did with my crisps?" Toni said, looking around.

"I think Dizzi might have got a bit hungry." Danny suggested.

Toni looked so confused. Dizzi was Kenny's bit beast, and bit beasts couldn't eat. Not only that, she was stuck in his laptop, so there was no way Dizzi would have them . . . unless . . .

"Hey! Give them back!" said Toni, lunging for her crisps, but Danny reached out and grabbed them again first.

"Aww, come on. I didn't get any food, can't you just spare this one little bag of crisps?" he said, dangling them in front of Toni's face.

"You had your baguette! Now, gimme!" Toni said, diving for them again, and Danny threw them back over his shoulder. Toni groaned and started to get up, but Danny shot up and ran to pick them up again.

Toni shot him a death glare, and Danny pretended to look scared, just to get Toni wound up. Toni ran at full pelt towards Danny, but Danny was already off and halfway across the field that was adjoining to the park.

Toni couldn't be bothered to run after him, so she just sighed and went and sat back down. She opened her blueberry muffin, and started pulling the blueberries out, and just eating the sponge. She piled the blueberries up into a little mound, and then when she had finished eating the sponge, she put the empty cake case over the top, so it looked like an empty cake case on the floor.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Amber asked.

"Sshhh!" shushed Toni, as she saw Danny coming back towards them. "You'll find out in a minute."

Danny cautiously walked over to where the others were sitting, and seemed to walk around the edge of an invisible circle when it came to walking past Toni. He sat down in his original space in between Kenny and Amber, and Toni was next to Amber.

"So, you don't mind if I have your crisps?" Danny asked, getting comfortable, as there were loads of tiny pebbles on the floor.

"YES!" Toni shouted, flying to her feet, with the empty cake case in her hand. But it wasn't just an empty cake case. When she'd picked it up, she'd grabbed it from the edges and picked up the blueberries inside it, so the cake case was actually filled with blueberries.

But before Danny even had a chance to start to move, Toni had come right up in front of him. Danny looked up at Toni, and she was grinning. She flicked her wrist around and planted the pile of blueberries in his face, without getting any blueberry juice on her hands, as the cake case had protected them.

While Danny was sitting in shock, and trying to wipe the blueberry mush from his face, Toni had picked up her bag of crisps and wandered back over to her seat. She sat down and opened her bag of crisps, but didn't eat any of them; she seemed to be waiting for something.

When Danny finally got most of the blueberry mush from out of his eyes, he looked across at Toni who was smirking. She picked up a single crisp in her left hand, and then licked the tip of her index finger on her right hand, and gently pushed the crisp with it, while making a "Ttssssssss," sound, as though something hot was cooling extremely fast.

The others started laughing, and even though she was laughing herself, Amber pulled out a tissue from her pocket.

"You haven't used it have you?" checked Danny playfully.

"Ha ha." Said Amber sarcastically, and instead of giving the tissue to him, she gently wiped his face for him.

"Aww, thank you Momma. Danny feel all clean now!" he said in a baby voice. Amber couldn't help raising a smile, but threw the tissue back in his face.

After a few hours of messing around down the park, they decided it was best for them to head home. Toni nodded her head slightly, but didn't smile. It was too quiet back home without Kelly. There'd be no music blasting from her room, no hearing her talking on the phone to one of her friends, and definitely no hearing a Beyblade spinning.

Toni then couldn't help wondering what had happened to Draleen. Did Kelly lose her in the explosion? Or was it still in her room? Toni didn't know, but she couldn't go in Kelly's room, as she'd feel way too depressed.

Amber saw Toni's face droop suddenly as they went to all leave for home, and decided to do something about it.

"Hey, Tone, Cass, wanna come around mine for a sleepover?" She asked. "My mom says anyone can come around whenever."

"Really?" Toni asked, her face lighting up with hope.

"Yeah, sure. I mean, why not? How about you, Cass? You up for it?" Amber asked.

"I'm up for it," said Danny, raising his hand.

"No, this is a girls night in." Amber said.

"Fine. It's not like I wanted to come," Danny said, turning around and pretending to be in a mood with her.

"OK, I'll come, as long as Matt says it's OK. I'll just ring him now." Cassidy said, pulling her mobile out of her pocket.

While Cassidy was phoning Matt, Ray, Kai, Kenny, Zeo and Danny said goodbye to them and walked off. Ray, Kai and Kenny turned right out of the park, Danny crossed over the bridge and Zeo walked straight over the road.

Zeo put his hands in his pockets, and was looking at the floor. He was feeling upset that he hadn't gotten to know Kelly better, and that he hadn't made a very good first impression. Now he'd never get the chance, and he wished he'd made more of an effort.

On the corner of the sidewalk and an alley was someone looking at a map, but was obviously having trouble reading it. Zeo heard them mutter: "Stupid thing. Kelly always told me to pay attention in Geography . . ." Then the person looked up and saw Zeo. Zeo saw it was a girl with dark purpley red hair and green eyes. She also had a gold nose stud and freckles all over her face, but they were only light so Zeo could only just about see them. She hurried over to Zeo.

"Excuse me, but you don't know the way to Dene Hollow, do you? I'm trying to find a friend of mine." The girl asked. She was wearing a short cream coloured top with a cartoon girl on it with devil horns and tail, and angel wings and halo saying '½ and ½' in red and yellow, faded dark purple jeans and white trainers. In her navel was a gold dolphin piercing. On the floor behind her was a huge suitcase, and a guitar case strapped over her back.

"Dene Hollow? Yeah, I know it. One of my mates lives there. You're in the completely wrong area though. I've got some free time, do you want me to take you there?"

"Oh, yes please. That is, if you don't mind." The girl checked politely.

"No problem. Come on," said Zeo, and he walked back the opposite way towards the park so he could go the same way that Ray, Kai and Kenny had gone.

Zeo and the girl walked quite quickly along, and as they came opposite the park, they saw Toni, Amber and Cassidy standing at the front gates.

"Do you mind if I just talk to these people a minute?" Zeo asked, looking back at the purple/red haired girl.

"No, not at all." She said.

Zeo crossed the road, to see what was happening with the sleepover. But before he had a chance to say anything, Toni was squinting her eyes at the girl over the road.

"She looks familiar . . ." Toni said. "I know I've seen her before. What's her name Zeo, and what's she doing with you?"

"Well, I was gonna ask if everything is still on for your sleepover, but let's change the subject. I was actually hoping you might know who she is, cos she's looking for your road. I don't know her name, and I was just taking her to Dene Hollow. I'll come and introduce her to you." Zeo said, before crossing back over the road, and then returning with the purpley red haired girl, who was dragging the suitcase behind her.

"I'm Zeo Zaggart, and these are my friends, Amber Trinselle, Cassidy Castana, and Toni LaVelle." Zeo said, pointing to each of them as he called their name. The girl's mouth dropped open when he pointed at Toni.

"Toni LaVelle?!" she said, gobsmacked. Then her senses returned. "I'm sorry, but I didn't know Kelly had a sister . . ."

Then Toni knew where she had seen her before. It was one of Kelly's friends who had gone to Madame Luton's with her. Kelly hadn't actually said much, just that she got on really well with one girl. Melanie Hunt. And on Kelly's bedside cabinet was a photo of her and Melanie outside Madame Luton's.

"You're . . . Melanie Hunt . . . aren't you?" Toni said, now shaking.

"Yeah. I was Kelly's best friend at Madame Luton's, and you were before me, weren't you?" Melanie said, looking at Cassidy.

"Yeah. Oh, I remember you now! You used to hang around with Danica and Chloe and that lot." Cassidy realised. Toni coughed loudly to get Cassidy's attention. If this was Kelly's best friend at Madame Luton's after Cassidy, then she didn't know the news.

"So . . . you haven't heard?" Toni asked, but was quietly hoping that she had heard.

"Heard what?" Melanie said, looking confused.

"Kelly . . .got killed in a car crash on Thursday . . . outside her new school. Our school. Smithton High." Toni explained, as she had already done many a time that day.

"She's . . . gone?" Asked Melanie, swallowing hard and trying to hold back the tears that were brewing in her eyes.

"Yeah," Toni said, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Tears filled Melanie's eyes, and they slowly dripped down her face. Her hand covered her mouth, and she mumbled, "What am I going to do?"

"I think it'd be best for you to go back home," Cassidy said.

"I can't. My mom and dad are abroad somewhere working, and I can't contact them. I've got nowhere to go, and I was hoping Kelly might let me stay with her for a while." Melanie sobbed. "Of course, that's never gonna happen now."

"How come this hasn't been a problem before?" Zeo asked.

"Like I said, I used to go to Madame Luton's. But today, they expelled me, because my parents were behind on the fees because they're always abroad so the money gets lost or stolen or takes forever, and they said I wasn't paying enough attention in class." Melanie shrugged.

"I know, then. How about for tonight you come to the sleepover that I'm having, and we'll figure something else out tomorrow? Does that sound OK to you?" Amber said.

"Are you sure?" Melanie asked, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I mean, I don't mean to intrude or cause any trouble . . ."

"Of course I'm sure. My parents won't mind, and you're not intruding, because I offered." Amber said.

"That'd be great. Thanks so much." Melanie said, smiling a bit.

"Well, then. I'll see you guys tomorrow, yeah? Same time, same place?" Zeo asked.

"Maybe." Said Amber. "The others will be here, but we'll see how we feel, OK?"

"Yeah, no probs. See you when I see you then. Bye!" he said, and crossed the road back the way he was walking before.

"Bye, Zeo!" they all said, and then, linking arms, apart from Cassidy who just walked next to them, they slowly walked over to Cassidy's house.

Cassidy's house was closer than anyone else's, plus she could pick up some stuff from her house, and then she said that Matt would drop them all off at each of their houses to pick up their stuff, before dropping them at Amber's.


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning, Toni awoke suddenly, and with a jolt. She wasn't sure what, but something had made her wake up extremely quickly. It was still quite early, but there was sunlight pouring through the curtains.

Toni sat up and looked around Amber's living room. Amber's parents had said it would've been better for them to have the sleepover downstairs, as it would have been pretty squashed in Amber's bedroom. There were sleeping bags and quilts lain out across the laminated floor, and then everyone had just laid on top for the night. Amber was lying curled up in a tight ball, Cassidy was on her side, and Melanie was sprawled out.

It had been a pretty calm night. They'd decided to play Quick Quiz, where one person would be the victim and have to clear their minds, and then, taking it in turns from the other people, they had to fire two-choice questions at the victim, who had to answer as soon as possible.

Cassidy had been the first victim, followed by Melanie, then Amber, and Toni last. There were no embarrassing answers, or no difficult questions; it was mostly on favourite things or people.

Toni sat, staring out of the window, for another few hours, until the others were awake. She was trying to replay the moment in her head about Thursday morning, trying to clear her conscience, as she still felt guilty. She'd felt even worse when she got home that day, as there were police officers in her house, and her parents were crying. Then, Toni had to explain to the police officers what she saw, and when they left, there was a terribly awkward silence.

"Hey, what're you doing up so early?" Melanie asked, yawning and stretching out.

"Couldn't sleep." Toni said, still staring out of the window.

"I can't say I slept well. It wasn't the surroundings; it was more like my head . . . my thoughts wouldn't stop going around, and it was constant." Melanie said.

"Tell me about it." Toni said, sighing.

Melanie got up and went and sat next to Toni. She put her arm around Toni's shoulder, comforting her.

"I don't wanna go and see the others today. I think I'm just gonna go home." Said Toni, standing up.

"What? Now? I mean, it's still . . ." she said, looking at her watch. "07.45am." she said.

"I don't care." Toni said, gathering up her stuff. She scribbled a quick 'thank you' note to Amber and her parents for having her, and then got changed.

"Keep in touch," Toni said, putting her bag on her back.

"I will." Melanie said, and could only watch as Toni walked out of Amber's house and down the street.

Melanie soon fell back asleep, and when she awoke again, Amber and Cassidy were sitting up chatting.

"Mornin'." Melanie said. "Did you get Toni's note?"

"Yeah. I suppose it's still tough for her." Amber said.

"Yeah." Agreed Melanie, nodding. "So, are we gonna meet up with the others today? I really wanna meet everyone."

"Yeah, sure. Come on, if we get ready now, we'll be the first ones there." Amber said, springing up.

The three started to get ready, while Amber's mom made them some breakfast. They ate while watching the telly, and then thanked Amber's mom for letting them stay and for the breakfast.

"Mom," said Amber, just as her mom was washing up to plates and bowls. "Is it OK if Mel stays with us for a while? She hasn't got nowhere to stay, cos her parents are abroad and she's got nowhere to go."

"Only if you both promise to keep the house tidy, and actually do some homework. I can't have you falling behind again. You've been doing so well since you've been with the Bladebreakers. Not like that Blake. He was just a waste of time and space." Her mom said.

"Thanks Mom!" Amber said, giving her mom a quick kiss on her cheek.

Then they left the house and went to the park for the day to meet the others. However, Melanie only got to meet Ray, Kai, Kenny and Cassidy, as Tyson still hadn't shown up, Toni had obviously gone home to think about Kelly, Max still hadn't spoken to anyone, Danny hadn't said anything and didn't turn up, and Zeo had called Kenny to say he wasn't going as he had to train at the Gym.

On Monday night, Ray started to get worried. They hadn't seen Tyson over the weekend, and he hadn't phoned or anything. He hadn't been in to school that day either, and Toni was off as well. Ray guessed that her parents let her have the day off for a memorial service, and they didn't particularly want loads of kids hanging around, even if they were Kelly's and Toni's friends.

He'd tried phoning Tyson over the weekend, but as soon as he asked for Tyson, the line went dead. He was seriously concerned, and only if he saw Tyson would that concern disappear.

"Ray? Ray!" said Kenny, typing on his laptop, but looking up at Ray.

"Yeah? Sorry, Chief, just got a bit on my mind at the moment." Ray apologized.

Kenny had popped around to Ray's after school to see if they could figure out a way to weaken the bond between Nightfall and Sunrise. Kenny had been working on it for ages, but couldn't solve it alone. He hadn't been able to solve it with help from Kelly, or Ozuma, so now he'd gone to Ray.

Because Ray's hometown was isolated in China, Ray and the White Tigers learnt many things that a lot of other people didn't think were possible, so Kenny had thought that Ray might think of a way.

"So, after you've released Sunrise and Nightfall in a battle, what next?" Kenny asked.

"Well, maybe if they both use their most powerful attack, i.e. Sunlit Glow or Twilight Glow, maybe the force of both attacks can break it. Well, it should at least weaken it." Ray suggested.

"Yeah, OK. We'll round up Cass and Dan and the others if they wanna watch, and meet up one day after school, yeah?" Kenny said, typing in Ray's idea to breaking the bond between Sunrise and Nightfall.

Ray started thinking about Tyson again, wondering whether he had been taken hostage and the people were in his house, and Tyson was gagged up so he couldn't answer the phone or walk. Then Kenny tried to get his attention again.

"Ray! Please pay attention!" Kenny said, getting annoyed.

"Sorry. I guess my mind is still elsewhere. What were you saying?" Ray asked.

"I was going to say do you want me to upgrade Driger for you, but as you're not paying attention to me, I think I'll just go." Kenny said, closing Dizzi's lid and standing up.

"Wait!" Ray said, standing up as well. "You don't have to upgrade Driger for me, I'm just saying I'm sorry. I keep wondering what's up with Tyson, and I suppose not seeing him for nearly five days has definitely freaked me out a bit."

Kenny smiled. "As long as you're thinking of your friends." He outstretched his hand towards Ray. "Let me take Driger overnight. I'll take his stats and see if there is any way I can help you improve them."

"Thanks," said Ray, placing Driger in Kenny's hand.

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow then, bye!" Kenny said, waving as he walked out of the door, and back to his house.

'Yeah.' Thought Ray. 'I'll see you tomorrow, but what about Tyson?'

The next day, Toni was walking slowly to school, by herself. She had actually phoned everybody up the night before, asking them not to meet her before school as she wanted some time by herself.

Her head was down, her eyes not really focusing. She wasn't paying attention to anything apart from where she was walking to.

Toni got to school ages before registration came, but as she walked through the front gates, everybody else was already there. Except Tyson. Again.

Toni walked straight past them, and thankfully, none of them said anything to her, which was exactly what she wanted. She walked into her form room, and sat down at a desk that was by itself in the centre of the room. No one else was in there, and it was completely silent.

"Hey, why so down?" came a gruff voice.

Toni looked up into the doorway, and saw the teacher that taught Art next door in Room 7, Mr. Twist. Mr. Twist taught half of the school Art, and the other half was taught by Ms. Bartholomew. He didn't have his own form class, as he was always tied up with work, but could find time to help any troubled student that felt they needed to confide in somebody. He was Toni's favourite teacher, even if he was a bit mad. He had frizzy dark hair and squarish glasses, which made him look a bit like a mad scientist out of a horror movie. He taught Toni for Art, which she loved with a passion, as her skills exceeded that of some of the less qualified Art teachers.

Toni smiled a bit, and just shrugged.

Mr. Twist came in and sat down on the desk next to her.

"You're still down about your sister, aren't you?" He said.

Toni nodded. "It was her memorial yesterday." She whimpered.

"I thought it was strange that I didn't see you." He said. "Listen, I bet Kelly wouldn't want to see you so upset and down, so try and cheer up a bit, OK?" He said, before going back out of the classroom.

Mr. Twist was right. Kelly wouldn't want her to be so upset, so she did try to cheer up, she really did, but it didn't do her much good. She felt a tiny bit better, but then a certain someone made a wrong move, and that tiny feeling disappeared as quickly as a cheetah running across the plains.

"Toni! I'm so sorry I didn't see you or phone you or anything! I got caught by Mr. Smith on Thursday, and he suspended me straight away, and then Grampa banned me from doing anything . . . What's wrong? Don't be mad at me, I told you I'm really sorry . . ."

"It's not that." Toni said, taking a deep breath, trying extremely hard not to cry again. She had done her fair share of crying, and thought that someone else would've told Tyson on the way in. Obviously not.

"Well, what have I done?" Tyson asked, pulling up a chair next to her.

"You haven't done anything, believe me." Toni said, but she couldn't seem to find the guts to tell him. He'd been away for nearly five days, and Toni hadn't gotten to say a single word to him. How could she tell him? Would she have to tell him gently like she did for Cassidy? Or would it be easier just to blurt it all out?

"Yes I have. Tell me, Toni. I wanna know what I've done wrong so I can put it right." Tyson said, picking up Toni's hand and squeezing it tight.

"I've already told you, you haven't done . . ." Toni started, but got cut off by Tyson.

"Toni! Please just tell me!" Tyson said, trying to get her to tell him what he'd done.

"Kelly's dead!" Toni blurted out, pulling her hand away from Tyson's, and hiding her face in her hands.

Tyson didn't look like her truly believed her. He thought she was just stalling for time so she could think of an excuse, instead of blaming him.

"Yeah, right. Stop joking, and just tell me what I've done and I'll apologize. I'd say sorry now, but it won't mean anything cos I don't know what I've done." Tyson said, trying to pull Toni's face up so she'd look at him.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Toni exclaimed, looking up, tears streaming down her face.

"You're . . . not kidding." Tyson said, before looking down at he floor, his eyes darting about as though it would help him figure it out.

"Just, leave me alone please Ty." Toni said, and then she got up out of her chair, and ran out of the classroom.

Tyson didn't move. Toni's sister, who he had known for not even a week, was dead, and he hadn't been there to help comfort Toni. Of all the time he had known Toni, that would've been the time she needed him most, and he wasn't there.

During their first period, English, Cassidy was sitting next to Toni, but Toni was just working silently. She wouldn't talk to anyone, not even Tyson, who she had been wishing she could've spoke to him a few days previously. Not now though. She never wanted to speak to anyone ever again.

Toni's English teacher was actually quite surprised at how quiet Toni was, as she was normally shouting at people across the room. She had heard about Toni's loss, but had been required by other staff members not to talk about it.

History was just the same. But instead of sitting where she normally sat next to Cassidy, she asked Ms. Holmes if she could sit by the window by herself. Ms. Holmes didn't really approve of the idea, but understood why Toni wanted to, and agreed.

At break, no one could find Toni, which was not surprising, as she had ran into the Majestics training room before anyone got in, and locked herself in. She didn't put Crysticle into her launcher; she just gripped him tightly in her hands.

Meanwhile, Emily, Mariah, Salima and Hilary were confronting Mariam about the other day.

"Come on Mariam, tell us who the mystery boy is!" Mariah tried to encourage her, but Mariam wasn't shifting.

"I'll tell you another time." Mariam said, crossing her arms.

"Aw, go on! Why not now? Now's as good a time as any!" Hilary said.

"Nah."

"We'll give you some juicy gossip, and you tell us who you're going out with. And I promise you, this is about as juicy as it gets!" Salima said, trying to bribe Mariam into telling them, even though they already knew.

"Juicy gossip spreads fast. I'll hear it from someone else." Mariam said, not too bothered.

Emily couldn't take it anymore. She knew that Mariam knew they'd go mad if they knew who she was going out with, and she really didn't want Mariam to find out about Kelly from someone else.

"Mariam, we know who you're going out with, and you need to put stop it right now, before you get hurt. You need to at least put it on hold, because Kelly's dead!" Emily shouted, and nearly everyone around them turned and looked at them.

A certain blonde haired boy, also heard, and rushed off. There was no mistaking that wild blonde hairstyle. Max.

"Emily, keep your voice down! Max just heard . . ." said Hilary.

"I don't care who hears, I'm trying to get this through your thick skull. Hold off your relationship, as Max and Toni both need your support as well as ours, which we aren't doing a very good job of at the moment, as we're too busy chasing after you!" Emily cried.

Mariam looked in a mix of shock and anger. She hated being shouted at; she thought people had no right to do such a thing, as she lived her life the way she liked, and no one should tell her any differently. One of her friends that had understood her most even though she had only knew her a week, was dead,

"I'll see you later. Wait for me after school." Mariam said, before walking off towards the Sixth Form centre.

Emily groaned, but then shook her head. "At least it looks like she's going to cool it down a bit with Josh."

"Yeah. **_Looks_** like." Mariah said.

They walked off towards their Maths class, and sat in the hallway outside of it, and waited for the bell to ring.

Max had been acting just the same as Toni, but even worse. Toni had met up with the others over the weekend, but Max had been blanking everybody out ever since the incident happened. If anyone mentioned anything that reminded him of Kelly, he became stroppy, but mostly because he was upset of what happened, and he blamed himself for not stopping her.

In all his classes, he had people sitting next to him, trying to cheer him up, but sometimes it just got him angrier. He couldn't concentrate on his work, and his grades were dropping rapidly.

He wouldn't wait for anyone after school, and always set out a lot later or a lot earlier than usual so no one walked with him, and then he'd put himself in solitary confinement, not talking to anyone. He wouldn't speak to anyone at home either. He wouldn't answer the phone, and he was definitely not going onto MSN.

Not even Beyblading could cheer him up, and Draciel was obviously affected by Kelly's death as well, as he couldn't sense Draleen, and his defence wasn't up to its usual standards.

Max didn't exactly feel good about being depressed. He'd tried to make himself feel happier, but nothing worked. Beyblading, failed. Surfing the Web, failed. Rollerblading, failed. All were some of his favourite hobbies, but none of them succeeded in making him feel better.

After lunch, there was a free period. Class 11U, the class in which Toni, Tyson, Max, Ray and Kenny were in, had tutoring with their form tutor, Ms. Yates, but as she had so much work to do, she told them all to sit and chat quietly.

Toni and Max hadn't turned up for the lesson, but Ms. Yates didn't bother with a register, thinking everyone was there.

Toni, once again, had rushed into the Majestics training room and locked the door, and sat down clenching Crysticle, but a couple of people climbed in through the window. It was a group of 4 that clambered in, the first one being Robert, but closely followed by Johnny, Enrique and Oliver.

"So, it was you who came in and locked us out at break? You stupid cow! Don't you know that this room is ours?" fumed Johnny, storming up to Toni.

"Of course I know." Toni said quietly.

"Well why did you come in here?" asked Oliver.

"I needed some space." Toni said, still very quietly.

"What? There's not enough space for you on the fields?" Enrique laughed.

Toni just shrugged. She couldn't be bothered to argue with a dumb blonde at the moment, and didn't want to dig a hole for herself to climb out of. If she did, Robert, Enrique, Johnny and Oliver wouldn't let her get out, and somehow would get revenge.

"How come you're not in class? I thought Vowels had tutoring now." Said Robert. Each year group was split up into two halves, and each form had a different letter after their year group. The two halves were Vowels, A, E, I, O and U, and Consonants, S, R, T, L and M.

"Why aren't you in class?" Toni snapped back.

"Consonants have free period." Said Johnny plainly.

"There's gotta be some reason of why you're in here. It can't just be because you want to miss tutoring, can it?" Oliver said.

"Maybe." Toni said. She didn't want the whole world to know why she was really in there.

"Hey . . . I remember you from somewhere . . . You're Tyson's girl, aren't you?" Robert said, squinting at her. "I've seen you with him at school, and on some of his TV interviews."

"Yeah. That's me." Toni said, sighing.

"You sound really happy being with him." Johnny said sarcastically.

"I guess we're going through a bad patch. Let's just say he wasn't there for me when I needed him most." Toni said.

"Let me guess. He was off Beyblading, right?" Robert said. "So immature. Puts his Beyblading in front of his girlfriend . . ."

"I don't see why I'm telling you this." Toni said, getting up and unlocking the door. She walked out, not even getting tried to stop by the Majestics. They obviously couldn't be bothered to get involved with someone's personal life.

Now she had been kicked out of the training room, Toni didn't know where to go. There was no way she was going into her tutoring lesson, and if she went into an empty classroom, there was the risk of getting caught by a passing teacher. Then an idea struck her. She hurried down the corridor, and saw someone's shadow not far ahead. If she was caught by anyone, she'd have to go into her tutoring lesson, so Toni quickly stood against the wall, where a small chunk of the wall came out into the corridor. It was actually to show off people's work.

The shadow soon disappeared, and Toni carried on to her destination.

Toni knocked at the door, and waited. She didn't know what to expect. Even though this teacher was always nice and kind to her, she didn't know what he'd say. Whether he'd tell her to come in and explain what was wrong, or whether he'd tell her off for not being in class and punishing her.

The door slowly opened, and Toni didn't dare look him in the face.

"Now then. You should be in tutoring, Toni." Said Mr. Twist.

"I can't, sir. I haven't had a free lesson with my form yet, and I'm dreading it." Toni said.

Mr. Twist sighed, but let her in all the same.

"So, what is it that you're worrying about most, hmm?" Mr. Twist asked, as he was marking some Yr. 8 work.

"I'm not sure. Probably the fact that everybody will be asking about Kelly or teasing me or asking why I wasn't in school yesterday or something. I really can't face that yet." Toni said, sitting down.

"Well, you're going to have to face them at some point, aren't you? If you're scared, act the opposite. Take this situation for example, and I'm using random names that come into my head. Say Nicholas doesn't like Sarah, and he's always putting her down and swearing at her, etc. So Sarah doesn't get upset or worried about it, she'd talk to him normally, like say to him in the mornings, "Hi, how are you?" as that type of thing helps get rid of negative feelings. In the end, people ignore what they hate you for. See what I mean?" Mr. Twist advised.

"So you're saying that . . ." Toni said, and Mr. Twist stopped marking and looked up at her. "I should act as though there's no problem about Kelly being dead? But I'd feel so disrespectful towards Kelly, and I'm sure she'd hate me for it."

"Well, I think about it completely differently. I think Kelly would understand that her time is over, and it's time to make you feel good about yourself, and put yourself first instead of her. She can't be offended any longer, and you have to recognise that. She would want you to feel happy and carefree, rather than depressed and concerned." Mr. Twist said.

Toni looked at the table in front of her. There were paint marks and graffiti, which was normal for any Art room, but the thing that caught her eye was something written in small print. She tried to wipe it to make it clearer, but smudged it slightly, which showed it was recently written. It said: 'Death can affect you and people around you, but not the person who dies.' Next to it was a tiny halo, which had been drawn in the same pen, and obviously by the same person as it smudged as well.

Then Toni was intrigued to know who had written it, and who had drawn the halo.

"Sir, what class did you have before lunch?" Toni asked.

"Erm, I think it was a Yr. 9 class. Why?" He asked.

"Well, it's just something that someone's written and drawn. Was anyone else in here before I just came?" Toni asked, desperate to know who had written it.

"At lunchtime a couple of people came in to carry on with some work. There's an idea. You carry on with your monochromatic work whilst you're in here. Oh, and a Sixth Former came in straight after lunch and sat where you are. Left a few moments before you came." Mr. Twist said.

Toni got up to go and collect her work from the back table where lots of work was stacked up high. She was racking her memory, thinking whether she had seen anyone when she was walking down the corridor towards this classroom. She hadn't seen anyone, just a shadow. Could that have been the mystery grafittier/adviser?

"Can I have her name please?" Toni said, as she came back towards her seat with her work.

"Who said it was a girl?" Mr. Twist said, teasing her. "It's not a girl, so he must be a boy. His name is Angel."

"A boy . . . called Angel?" Toni said, disbelieving what Mr. Twist had said.

"Well, no. His nickname is Angel, but everybody calls him that, as he doesn't like his real name. He puts Angel as his name on all his work, but all the teachers call him Logan. He's kinda . . . infamous, I suppose you could say."

"Can I have his full real name?" Toni asked, getting some paints out from by the huge sink that sat in the corner of the room.

"His name is Logan Labsun. But I'm telling you this now as a friend and a pupil, he prefers people calling him by his nickname. So if I were you, if you want to find him, ask for Angel." Mr. Twist advised.

"Thanks, sir." Toni said, sitting down with a paint pallet that had just black and white in it.

Mr. Twist let her stay the rest of the lesson, but he said she'd got to go to her P.E lesson. Toni thanked him for letting her stay, and then went to her locker to collect her P.E kit.

She walked down the corridor where all the lockers were, and saw some of her friends getting their P.E kits out of their own lockers. She took a deep breath and was ready to act as though she was totally over Kelly's death.

"Hey Toni!" Called Tyson. He hurried over to her, as she stopped by Locker 180, the locker she'd had since she started Smithton. "Hey, I'm really sorry about Friday. I wish I could've been there, but I was suspended, so that wasn't entirely my fault. Please, forgive me." Tyson said.

"OK." said Toni, opening her locker.

"I really wish I was there for you, but I was stuck at home with no phone, TV, Internet, Beyblading, I couldn't leave the house . . ." Tyson carried on, not realising that Toni had said yes. He'd thought that it would've taken Toni more time to forgive him, so he had thought of millions of reasons of why it wasn't his fault that he wasn't there.

"Tyson." Toni said, cutting him off. "You're babbling. And anyway, I said I forgive you." And Tyson pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks." He whispered.

"No problem." She whispered back.

"Why are we whispering?" Tyson whispered to her, still hugging her tight though.

"I'm not sure. You started whispering first." Toni whispered back.

"So, where were you during tutoring?" Tyson said, as Toni pulled away and opened her locker.

"Just getting some advice from a friend. By the way, could you come with me to Reception after school? I need to find somebody." Toni said, pulling out a t-shirt and some trousers and shoved them in her bag.

"Yeah sure. Any particular reason?" Tyson asked, as they walked towards the Gym.

"Kinda. Something that was written on a table." She said.

Tyson never said anything else. He was just happy that things were still OK between him and Toni.

Toni took a lot longer than usual getting changed, as she still had that saying in her head. Tyson got changed quickly, because, as usual, he had his kit on underneath his clothes. He was already in the Gym talking to Ray and Kenny, and then Jamie walked over to them.

"I heard about Kelly." He said.

"What about her?" Said Max, coming up behind him. Tyson, Ray and Kenny were quite shocked. It was the first they'd heard Max say for days, and he'd said it in quite a fierce tone.

"I was just coming to say sorry and stuff . . ." started Jamie.

"Like that's gonna help. She's gone and there's nothing we can do." Max said, staring Jamie out.

"Really?" Jamie said, putting his hands on his hips. "You see, that's where I think differently. She might be gone, and there's nothing we can do to bring her back, but we can always do stuff in remembrance of her."

"Exactly what I said. There's nothing we can do." Max said, and started to turn away, but Toni came rushing out, and put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him from turning.

"Max . . ."She said quietly. "I know you think there's nothing we can do for her, but there's something she'd like you to do for yourself. Not let yourself drown in depression. A friend told me earlier that she wouldn't want to see us down because her life is over, but to see us happy because our lives are just beginning. Something like that, anyway."

"That's not good advice. That's just disrespectful." Max said.

"Max. There's a fine line between disrespect and carrying on with your own life. Until you see that we're not crossing that line into disrespect, you'll be down forever."

Max stopped. He didn't talk, he didn't move, he didn't blink. It was true; there was a fine line between the two, and a very fine line it was. Instead of making himself, the others, and Kelly feeling better, he was making them all feel worse.

Toni realised she was starting to get through to him, but had run out of things to say. She was stuck, but Tyson helped her out. And whilst all these things were being said, Jamie was still standing, feeling awkward.

"Listen Max, don't get upset when I say this, wait and think it through. Disrespect would be thinking, 'Oh, she's dead, now let's forget all about it and play tennis or whatever.' But carrying on with your lives is completely different. Yeah, OK, its normal to be upset, but it's not normal to keep away from everyone and not talk to anyone in nearly five days." Tyson said. "That's starting to be disrespectful to your alive friends, and to Kelly who would want you to stay friends with us, as do we."

Toni smiled. That was the best advice Tyson had ever given, and he knew it. As did Max.

He smiled slightly. "Thanks guys."

"Now, let's go and have some fun!" Tyson said, grabbing Max's arm and dragging him off to get some tennis rackets and some tennis balls.

"I thought we were doing Netball." Toni thought aloud.

"Nah, that was just while Ms. Kirby was away. Away from that subject, are you OK?" Ray asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."


	22. Chapter 22

Everybody met up by the Bladebreakers tree after school, except for Toni and Tyson, but they'd told Ray and Max to pass on the message that they wouldn't be coming. Danny hadn't been able to turn up, as he had to be home as fast as he could because his parents had said that if he didn't start practising his electric guitar soon, they'd give it to a charity.

Kai was actually feeling tired. He couldn't draw attention to himself because of the problem he had left in Russia, and was worrying about it, in case Voltaire ever found him. Plus, ever since he'd come to Smithton, things had been happening that he'd never expect, especially at a school. He hadn't been able to sleep well, but it wasn't for the fact that he was stopping in a disintegrating motel, if you could call it that, but for the fact that so much stuff, and dramatic stuff at that, had been happening, and all one after the other.

Cassidy could see how exhausted Kai was. Even though she'd only known him for about a week, it was unlike Kai to show his fatigue. He was strong, determined, and most of all, he never showed his emotions fully. It was a weakness, whichever way Cassidy looked at it. From Kai's point of view, unveiling your emotions was a weakness, as people could pick up your feelings and then have an advantage against you, but from her point of view, unveiling emotions was a weakness because he had a reputation as the leader of the Bladebreakers to be strict and cold, and if he ruined that now, he would be known as a liar and a fake.

By this time, Mariam was walking towards the rest of them, and tears were streaming down her face. Her dark blue hair was straggly, and her bright green eyes seemed full of fear and regret.

Emily, Mariah, Salima and Hilary rushed over to their friend's side, closely followed by Kenny, Max, Ray, Amber, Kai and Cassidy. But before any of them got the chance to say what was wrong, Mariam had run past them and towards the school gates.

Mariah looked at Emily, Salima and Hilary, and shook her head slightly. The others nodded their heads, and then Salima held up three fingers. Then she pointed at the others, and then over her shoulder. Then with her thumb she pointed at herself, then touched her lips with her little finger, and then pointed over her other shoulder. Mariah, Emily and Hilary nodded, and then rushed off after Mariam.

"What the hell was all the pointing and fingers and stuff about?" Amber asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"The Five code. Listen guys," said Salima, biting her lip. "We'll let you know about Mariam as soon as, OK? But for now, we like totally need our own time. If it's OK with you, we'd like to temporarily hold off our membership to the VIPs. And I'm saying temporarily at the moment, cos it might change."

"No, that's fine, but . . . do you mind if we ask why?" Ray asked.

"There's too much responsibility at the moment. It's too much commitment for us to handle, and everything is just like so . . . everywhere. Stuff is always happening, and we can't handle that. We'd be better off just going back to The Five. As you can tell, that was OK. We could get on OK with that, and like you just saw, we've got our code, and when we first met and created The Five, we'd decided that we wouldn't let our commitments get too big, otherwise The Five would break up. If we don't split from you guys, The Five won't ever be the same. I hope you understand." Explained Salima.

"Yeah, I see what you're saying. With Mariam and everything that's been going on with her at the moment, you need to let go some of your duties and loyalties." Kenny said.

"Totally. Now, if you don't mind, one of The Five needs the other four, so I gotta dash. See you around maybe. Bye!" She said, before running off in the same direction the others had.

"Well, that went well," said Max, with a hint of sarcasm. "I wonder if Tyson and Toni are having more luck with whatever it is they're doing."

Whether it was just good luck, or Max jinxing what he'd said to be true, Toni and Tyson were doing quite well with finding Angel.

They were now standing in the centre of the playground, not too far away from the Sixth Form centre, and Toni was just preparing herself for what Angel was going to say to her. Tyson had persuaded Toni to go in by herself, as Tyson still didn't understand properly what he was doing there.

Toni walked over to the Sixth Form centre, and knocked the door. Only teachers and Sixth Formers were allowed in without permission; anybody else had to knock and wait for permission from somebody inside.

It was none other than Ricardo. Inside, Toni was slapping herself. She didn't particularly like Ricardo, but she was glad it was him instead of Tania. She just thought Tania was a selfish cow that bitched at everybody.

"Well, well. What are we doing here?" He said, but he sounded completely different to when Toni had heard him before.

"I need to see somebody." Toni said, but before she could say who it was, Ricardo got shouted to.

"Hey, Rick! Are you gonna be seeing Tan tonight? I need to ask her if she'll go through this for me." Came a voice.

"Hang on a minute," Ricardo said to Toni, and he stuck his head back inside the door. "Yeah." He called in. "I'm going to hers at about half five. Give it here and I'll pass it on." And a wad of paper got shoved into Ricardo's hand.

So Tania wasn't there. Toni felt a lot easier, as if she had gone in and Tania was there, she felt sure she would've been thrown back out.

"So, who was it you wanted to see?" Ricardo said, opening the door as an invite to let her in.

"Erm, Angel . . ." Toni said quietly. Even though Mr. Twist had said to call him Angel, she felt strange calling somebody by their nickname before she'd even met them.

"Yeah sure. Come on, I think he's still here." Ricardo said, and he led her through the Common Room.

There were about fifteen computers situated around the edge of the room, and each one had at least one person working at it, if not two. There were ten or so people sitting randomly around the room, with a radio/tape/CD system playing loud rock music.

"Marco's really improved hasn't he?" Said one Sixth Former.

"Yeah. I don't understand why he doesn't want to take it up for a career." Said another.

'Marco.' Thought Toni. 'Wasn't he the guy that used to date Mariam? And who was always fighting the Government?' It was a small world.

Ricardo led her through a set of double doors and turned left, and Toni could hear a guitar and some drums playing in the distance, but they were coming from the opposite direction. Ricardo opened a door on his right, and inside were two boys chatting.

"Hey, don't forget to ask your twin for me then, OK?" said one of them. He had shoulder-length silvery-white hair, pale purple eyes, and he was extremely good-looking. Toni had to stop and think of Tyson, even though he wasn't the type of guy she'd go for. He was wearing a long sleeved white top and grey trousers, and his trainers were pure white.

"Haha, very funny. I've told you all to stop calling her my twin. Anyway, I don't understand. Jinni is here, so why don't you ask her?" Said the other, who had short fuzzy blonde hair with black speckles, golden almond-shaped eyes, and pointy ears. His face was covered in freckles, and small fangs were noticeable. He was wearing a black muscle shirt with three red claw marks across it, brown jeans and black trainers. On his left shoulder was a black cat paw tattoo, and around his neck was a white fang necklace.

"Cos I've got way too much stuff to do to talk to Jin. You know what she's like. You start talking to her and she could go on for years!" said the first one again.

"Fine." Said the blonde haired boy.

"Angel, you got another girlfriend." Joked Ricardo.

"Another one?" Laughed the purple-eyed boy.

"Man, Angel. What I wouldn't give to be you for a day." Said the blonde haired boy.

"Whatever Neko." Logan said. "You wouldn't last a day as me."

Ricardo rolled his eyes, and then turned back to Toni, who was blushing a furious red. "This is Logan Labsun, better known as Angel, and Nekon Leyvra, better known as Neko. And if you're wondering who Jinni is, her name is Jin Yardale. She looks a lot like Neko, so we call them the twins."

"Er, yeah. Nice to meet you both." Toni said, her face returning to its natural colour. "I know you don't know me Angel, but can I have a private word with you please?"

"Ooooh!" Chorused Ricardo and Nekon, and then they pulled funny kissy faces.

"Get a life guys." Logan said. "Sure, come on, follow me to somewhere quiet."

Logan opened a door at the back of the room, and led Toni through a narrow corridor. He peered through a frosted glass window to see if there was anybody in there, which there wasn't, so they walked in and Logan shut the door.

"Well, erm . . ." Started Toni. She hadn't exactly thought it through; how she was going to word it. "First things first, were you in Room 7 today? If you were, about what time?"

Logan looked at her strangely. He still didn't have a clue who this girl was, and she was asking him whether he had been in an Art room. Then he held up his hands in a 'slow down' gesture.

"Whoa, whoa. That's not what you'd call an introduction. First things first, who are you?" Logan asked.

"Sorry. I'm Toni LaVelle." Toni apologized.

Then Logan's brain went into overload. LaVelle . . . where had he heard that name? He was sure he'd heard it before, and recently. He tried to remember all the things he had done in the past few days, from waking up in the morning, to going to bed on the night. Then an image flashed in his mind, with the name Kelly LaVelle underneath it. 'Of course!' He thought. 'That's why I've heard the name before. Maybe Toni here is related to the girl that was on the news that got killed in a car crash.'

"Anyway, were you in the Art Room today?" Toni asked.

"Yeah, after lunch. I was just talking to Mr. Twist, about which careers that use an Art qualification, and how much money it would rake in." Logan said. "I still don't understand why you're asking me this, though."

"Did you write on the table?" Toni demanded to know. She hoped and prayed she'd got the right person, otherwise she'd seem like a complete and utter idiot.

"If you're here on behalf of a teacher and you want to punish me, then no, but if you're here for any other reason, yes." Logan said. "I sometimes leave handy notes on the table for people who are confused, or don't know what they're doing with their life. I feel that enough people write on the tables, so why not read what's on the tables for once."

"Well, I came to ask you about just one of them. 'Death can affect you and people around you, but not the person who dies.' How do you work that one out?" Toni asked.

"Well, I think of it like this: If a relative died, it would shake you about, you wouldn't be able to concentrate on your work, and you would just be generally depressed. But the relative that has died can't really be affected, because they're dead." Logan explained.

"Yeah, but . . . it does affect them because they're dead. They're not alive anymore." Toni said.

"I think they are still alive. Alive in spirit and in their friends and family. If the relative is dead, they can't feel anything. Think about it. If you can't feel anything, you can't be affected because you can't feel pain, misery, doubt, regret, etc." Logan said.

Toni didn't say anything. She just tried to think it through.

Logan could see she was still a bit confused, so he got a piece of paper and a pen out of his pocket, wrote his name on the paper and quickly signed it. Then he drew a halo in the corner, but some certain marks on it made it unique and significant.

"Here." He said, handing it to her. "Think through what I've said to you, and if you like, discuss it with your friends, family or whatever. If you still need someone to confide in or you don't understand still, show this note to the people who open the door to you, and they'll let you straight in."

"Thanks," said Toni, and gratefully took the paper from him.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go and talk to Rick, cos he said he's seeing Tania today, and I need him to give her something for me. Come on, I'll show you the way out." Said Logan, and he walked her back through the corridors and rooms.

When Toni exited the Sixth Form Centre, Tyson was leaning against one of the walls, looking at his watch. Toni then realised how long she'd been. It hadn't been that long, but it must've been pretty boring for Tyson. She hurried over to him and apologized for taking so long.

"No problem. So, did you get to see who you wanted to see?" Tyson asked, and they slowly walked out of the school.

"Yeah. Right, this is gonna be a long story . . . kinda." Toni added.

"Well, at the rate we're walking, I think we've got a long time." Tyson smiled.

So, on the journey home, which took a lot longer than usual because of the speed they were walking, Toni explained to Tyson about going to see Mr. Twist during tutoring, and then seeing the note on the table, and then working out who it was, and then what Logan had actually said to her.

"So, Amber. What happened at Smithton today?" Melanie asked. She had shoved her hair up into a loose ponytail, but it was bouncing about excitedly.

"Well, Tyson reappeared, and Toni kinda ignored him for the first part of the day, and then our friend Mariam came out at the end of school in tears, and now we're six VIPs less. Including Kelly." Amber said, going through the day's events.

"So where had Tyson been? And why was Mariam crying?" Melanie asked, being inquisitive as always.

"Tyson had been excluded and his Grampa wouldn't let him out or use the phone or Internet or whatever, but we don't know why Mariam was crying." Amber said.

She sat down at her computer and logged onto MSN to see if there was anybody online. There were quite a few people on, and she was automatically invited into a conversation that had Kenny, Danny, Cassidy and Ray in it. says: hey guys, watz goin says: We're just discussing meeting up tomorrow on top of the empty arcade. Ray has figured out a way of weakening the bond between Sunrise and Nightfall. says: yeh, nd we're hopin non of us says: frm wat ray tells us, it shud work. Wanna cum says: yeh, but hang on. lemme ask mel 1st

Amber turned to Melanie who was leaning over her shoulder reading the conversation as it went. Melanie looked at Amber and nodded her head, smiling. says: yeh sure, mel wants 2 come. Wat says: we figurd afta skool wud be gud 4 all of us, speshly since cass can stay out l8r says: hu's says: she used 2 go 2 madame lutons wiv me nd kel, but she got says: u can meet her 4 urself 2moro says: says: By the way, how are you and Melanie? Is she settling in says: yeh, we're fyn. Nd mel's telling me 2 get u lot 2 add her nd spread her email round 2 evry1 else as well: says: kk

Amber got up from her seat and signed out of MSN, and asked Melanie if she wanted a drink or something to eat. Melanie said she wasn't bothered, so Amber went downstairs to get them some snacks to nibble on. Meanwhile, Melanie signed onto her MSN address, and remembered one of the email addresses, as she thought it was very easy to recall.

She clicked 'Add A Contact', and then typed in She hit 'Finish', and it automatically said that he was signed in.

Melanie opened a conversation with him. says: hi, hu r says: u shud kno – u added me! Nah, jus kiddin. I'm Danny. Ur mel, says: ryt. So, how do u kno amber nd da otha says: I kno amber from our old school. Used 2 hang around wiv her nd blake, but she don't lyk blake nemore, so she startd hangin round wiv da BB's, so I followd. says: cool. I dnt actually kno ne1 properly yet. I used 2 go 2 skool wiv kelly . . . but amber's letting me stay wiv says: yeh. Amber's always der 4 her says: so, u says: yeh. says: nah. Too busy doin otha stuff wen it came out. if I startd now, ppl wud jus fink I'm slo on da uptake. Evn if I did start, I wudnt hav tym 2 practis wiv all da sports I do. Plus I play sum elec says: I play elec guitar 2. wanna make a career out of it, but not yet. Do u do ne says: yeh. I do pretty much evryfin xsept beybladin. Pretty activ if I do say so myself. So I hear u got a bit beast. says: says: cool. U do kno da power of it, says: I says: yeh ryt. No1 knos da tru power of Nightfall or Sunrise. Dey've got lyk a special aura thingy so ppl can't find says: surprise surprise. Chief found a way of locatin ne bit beast wiv his bit searcher. Its cool nd he got his proto-type 2 work. Wen he's made sum more, he sed he's gonna sell em 2 da bba, nd 2 major beybladin researchas. He was gonna giv 1 2 kelly, but he can't really can says: no . . . says: erm, do u do footie? Hu do u says: yeh, playd as striker at old skool 4 da team. Supporta of blues nd says: me 2. bout supporting. Used 2 play at primary, but neva 4 a says: its cool in a team cos u always get recognition. Plus u get trophies nd says: cool. So wat do u luk says: gotta w8 til 2moro 2 c. says: stringin me along, says: summat lyk dat. gtg now neway. Amber's mom wants us 2 clean up a bit, plus we got snacks! says: kk. C u 2moro says: yep. C says: bi

Melanie signed out of MSN and laughed to herself. She had been truthful – Amber's mom did want them to clean up, and they did have snacks to eat, but Melanie laughed at the way Danny thought she was stringing him along. She didn't even know the guy, and already he was talking to her as though she wanted to go out with him.

"Thanks," Melanie said, taking a bag of crisps from Amber.

"No problem." Said Amber, sitting down on her bed and opening a bag of crisps herself. "So, who were you talking to?"

"Danny." Melanie said, opening her bag of crisps and swivelling the chair around so that she was facing her host.

"How did you get on?" Amber questioned.

"OK. We were talking about sports and stuff." Melanie shrugged.

"So, do you like sports?" Amber asked. Even though Melanie had been staying at her house, she didn't know that much about her new friend.

"Yep!" Melanie smiled. "But I don't Beyblade. Too busy and stuff. Do you?"

"Yeah. Had Julekoy for about four or five years now." Amber said. "So, if you had to choose just one sport, what would it be?"

"No fair! I love all sports, and I couldn't just choose one." Melanie argued. "How would you like it if I asked you to choose between two of your best friends? Who would you choose if you had to choose between . . .Danny and Cass?" Melanie asked back.

"Cass!" said Amber quickly. "Nah, only kidding. I couldn't choose between them. And I see your point. OK, have you done a 200m dash?"

"Yeah. My record is 42.3 seconds, and I nearly beat it before I got expelled from Madame Luton's." Melanie said, shoving more crisps into her mouth.

"Whoa. That's fast. If I tried, I'd probably collapse before I reached the 100m mark." Amber laughed.

"I guess I was born with being sporty." Melanie shrugged.


	23. Chapter 23

The next day, during break, Cassidy actually realised what the date was, and was quite shocked at how quickly it had came around. The date that day was 10th March, only nine days before her birthday. How she hated her birthdays. They were always the same thing. Getting up before school and opening her presents, which were normally CDs, clothes, jewellery, books and so on, then when she got back from school, she'd have a mess through her stuff. Then she'd go out for a meal with Matt, normally to Global, a restaurant that sold foods from all around the world, and then she'd come back, do her homework and go to bed. She never had any parties, sleepovers, shopping sprees, bowling trips, or anything even remotely girly or exciting like that. She hadn't got any friends to share it with.

But this year was going to be different. She had loads of friends, and couldn't wait to have a great time with them all.

Then Cassidy was thinking about what she'd do. Whether to go bowling or have a party, or to just hang out with them all and not make a big deal out of it.

"What do you think, Cass? Cass? Hello?" said Kai, waving his hand in front of her face.

She shook herself back to reality; looked at Kai and realised he was looking straight at her, and then flushed a strong shade of red. 'Oh great.' Cassidy thought. 'I had to space out on them.'

"Sorry, miles away then. What were you saying?" Cassidy said, her face cooling back down to its original colour. Tyson, Toni, Max, Ray, Kenny, Amber and Danny were also looking at her and smiling.

"We were saying whether we thought Ray's idea would break the bond between Sunrise and Nightfall," he laughed.

"Oh yeah. Yeah, I think it should work." She said.

Cassidy went back to thinking about what she was going to do for her birthday. She decided she'd go out bowling with them all, and then invite them all back for a huge sleepover in the living room. Would Matt let her go bowling and then have a sleepover? It was a pretty big step, and didn't know what he'd say. Except that it would either be a definite yes or a definite no.

Cassidy then smiled to herself. She'd be crafty. She'd invite her friends first, and then ask Matt if she could go out and have a sleepover. That way, if he said no, she'd have a reason for him to say yes.

"Hey guys . . ." Cassidy said, coming out of her daydream, and everyone looked at her. "Are you doing anything next Saturday?"

"Nope," they all said, shaking their heads.

"Well, do you wanna come bowling with me, and then come back to mine and have a sleepover?" She said. "Cos it's my birthday next Friday, and Matt said I could do anything I wanted."

"You could do anything? If I could do anything for my birthday, I'd go to America and meet all the celebrities, not waste my time asking mates for a bowling trip and a sleepover!" Danny laughed.

"Yeah right, Dan. Of course, I've got enough money to go to America for my birthday. Let's meet all the celebs!" Cassidy said sarcastically. "So, anyone interested? For my original idea, that is."

"Yeah!" Came an enthusiastic reply of eight voices.

"Cool! OK, so, we'll meet at my house at about 11ish, go bowling, have some dinner, hang about, and then back to mine for a sleepover? Is that OK with everyone?" Cassidy asked.

"Yep!" Said Toni. "Ooh, will there be snacks at the sleepover?"

"If you like," laughed Cassidy, and then the bell rang for the beginning of I.T.

Cassidy was so glad when her Performing Arts lesson was over. She wanted to see if Ray's theory worked, and if it didn't, either her or Danny were gonna be out of it.

She and Kai walked together to the Bladebreaker Tree after the lesson, and waited for the others to show up. First were the other Bladebreakers and Toni, and finally Danny and Amber.

"Sorry we're so late." Amber apologized.

"Yeah. That idiot of a teacher Ms. Yates," Started Danny, but then he stopped and looked at the five members of 11U, "no offence to you guys, kept us in because apparently we were making too much noise. I mean, it wasn't our fault that she'd told us to make a short scene of how to solve a conflict. So we thought we'd make it interesting by adding the conflict. Well, fight." He shrugged.

"Trust you two. Never looked the sort of people who could keep something quiet and simple." Ray said. "By the way Amber, where's Melanie meeting us?"

"She said she'd catch up with us when she could, cos she promised that she'd help my mom before coming out. And she did say that if she wasn't there after a couple of minutes to start without her." Amber recited, remembering each little detail that Melanie had told her previously.

"Oh, OK." Ray said. "Is everyone set?"

"Yep," they answered, and started walking towards the empty arcade.

While they were walking, they realised that none of them had seen Mariah, Salima, Emily, Hilary or Mariam. Salima did say that she'd let them know as soon as possible, but maybe that wasn't exactly true. Maybe they'd found out what was wrong with Mariam, and thought that they should keep it between themselves for a bit. They understood why they might want to do that, but not why they wouldn't come and tell them that they weren't gonna tell them just yet, that they wanted to try and sort it out themselves.

They soon reached the old arcade. There were at least 15 floors, but no one knew what had been on the upper floors, only that the ground floor had been the arcade level. It was a very tall building with loads of little stalls in surrounding streets. They all managed to get onto the roof without getting caught, but none of them could see Melanie anywhere. They waited for about five minutes, with still no sign of her, so they decided to get started.

"Right, Cass, Dan, listen up. We'll go through this once more. Both of you release your blade into the dish, and they should start glowing. It might be tough because one of you won't have much control over your bit beast, like we saw last time; Danny couldn't control Nightfall. You'll both have to concentrate extremely hard, and on the count of three, directed by Kai and Kai only . . ." Kenny started, but got cut off by Tyson and Toni both moaning.

"How come Mr. Moody-Pants over there gets to count?" Toni moaned.

"Because Mr. Moody-Pants won't mess about. And Mr. Moody-Pants knows how to count up to three." Kai said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall that led to the inside elevator, which had been out of order for years.

Tyson and Toni stuck their tongues out at him, being as immature as they were.

"As I was saying, when Kai gets to three, both of you call out your bit beasts, and then on the count of three, again directed by Kai, you're both to use the Glow attack, so either Sunlit Glow or Twilight Glow. This must be done accurately. Hopefully, if this is done successfully, the bond will be weakened. There should be a clear sign, and then you can battle it out to the finish as normal." Kenny said, typing it all down as he went. "Understand?"

"Yeah," replied Danny and Cassidy in unison. They both stepped up to the arena, and pulled out their ripcords with their Beyblades already in place.

"Dizzi, all set to record?" Kenny checked, turning her camera on.

"Ready and waiting, Chief." Dizzi replied.

"Well if I can't count down the thingamajigs, can I count down to start it?" Tyson asked.

"Fine." Kenny said, sighing. He was so babyish. If Kai got to do something, he wanted to do the same.

"OK, so in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . LET IT RIP!" Tyson called, beginning the match/theory test.

Both Cassidy and Danny shot their blade into the dish and, as Kenny had said they both started glowing; Cassidy's the same bright yellow, and Danny's started glowing the same silver. Kai waited for a moment while both blades built up their speed.

"1, 2, 3." Said Kai, and both of the bladers put one arm into the air and called their bit beast's name.

"Sunrise!"

"Nightfall!" Both names were said at the exact same time.

"This is the tough bit now guys. Concentrate hard so you don't lose control." Kenny said.

As in her previous battle against Kai, Sunrise pranced out of the white bit-chip and gracefully danced around Cassidy. Her white mane and tail reflected the sunlight, making her look extremely proud and majestic.

On the other hand, Nightfall jumped out of his grey bit-chip, and jumped right over Danny's head, causing him to duck. Obviously, Nightfall had never done that before, as it surprised him as much as it did anyone else, perhaps more. Nightfall stood at the side of Danny with his head up straight and looking at Sunrise in the eyes.

Both of the bit beasts were glaring at one another, yet none of them moved from their owner's side.

Kai seemed to be waiting for something. He didn't count again, and Toni thought he'd just forgotten.

"Yo, Mr. Moody-Pants! Forgotten how to count?" She yelled at him, but he ignored her.

Nightfall seemed to be the angrier of the two, and looked more intimidating, yet Sunrise seemed to be the most vengeful, and looked stronger. It was going to be a very tough battle.

Clearly what Kai was waiting for wasn't going to happen, and he counted down again, this time, more slowly.

"1 . . . 2 . . . 3!" he commanded.

But unfortunately, Cassidy was a bit more nervous than Danny was, and commanded Sunrise to use Sunlit Glow a second before Danny commanded Nightfall to use Twilight Glow.

"No!" Cried Kenny, as the beam of light shot out of Sunrise's mouth.

Time seemed to slow down. The beam of light shot at Nightfall, who was knocked back and out of the dish. It wasn't just Nightfall that was affected. Danny was too. He got thrown back and knocked unconscious, so he couldn't prevent himself from flying over the edge of the building.

Everybody screamed and ran to the edge, looking down. Apart from Cassidy. She was frozen with shock. She started hyperventilating, and sat down on the floor. Sunrise returned to her bit-chip, and the yellow and white blade spun out of the dish and across the roof and spun next to her.

Meanwhile, Melanie was walking quickly to the old arcade. She knew where it was because the previous night, Amber had gave her directions on how to get there and the easiest way of climbing up without getting caught. She was now nearing the arcade, and started walking quicker. Something told them they had already started, so she didn't want to miss the end. Then she saw a huge flash of yellow, and then a figure flew over the edge of the building, and started dropping at an enormous speed.

"Holy shit!" Melanie cried, before dropping her small bag and running at full pelt.

Time sped up again. She ran faster than she could remember she ever had, pushing her legs a little further with each step. Her arms were swinging at her sides, and her head was looking at the path in front of her, and every few seconds she'd look up to see where the figure was.

It was nearly at the ground. Melanie looked ahead to see what she could use, and immediately saw her answer.

She ran up some crates that had been stacked up at different levels, so they were like stairs. She leapt from the top of them, pulling a cord as she descended. It released one of the awnings, which was like a small canopy that could be drawn out or pulled in. In this case, it shot out because of the speed that Melanie had pulled the cord.

She landed on the floor in a crouching position, but got up straight away to complete her plan. She stepped out form under the canopy, and quickly pushed some empty cardboard boxes that had been left underneath the canopy, in case it ripped.

The figure fell straight onto the red and white striped awning, and thankfully it just bent a bit in the middle, keeping the figure safe.

Melanie sighed. It was a sigh of relief, but she also felt proud that she helped someone, especially since they were in that much danger.

She looked up to see where the figure had come from, and could see seven little dots from up on the roof. She assumed they were the others heads looking down, but couldn't understand why the figure had fell.

Carefully, Melanie stacked up the cardboard boxes, and clambered onto the awning with the figure, and actually found it was a boy. A very cute boy. She got the back of her fingers and carefully stroked his cheek, and he opened his eyes. Melanie's hand flew to her side, and just looked at him. With his hand he clutched his head and sat up.

The first thing he saw was the sky, before he had sat up anyway. When he had sat up, he saw a girl with purpley red hair, and green eyes. She smiled at him, and helped him climb down.

"Ow, my head's killing me . . ." Danny said. "Who are you?"

"Take a wild guess." Melanie said.

"At the moment? I don't think so. I just need to not think of anything right now." Danny replied.

"Your loss," she said, and watched him sit down and lean against the wall behind him.

A group of eight people came rushing around the corner, and Melanie smiled. It must have been Danny that fell, because the group of people were the Bladebreakers. She already knew what Tyson and Max looked like, thanks to Kelly always updating her on the Beyblading world when they were in Madame Luton's.

"Oh my God!" Amber cried, rushing to her friend's side. "Danny, are you OK?"

"Who are you?" He asked, looking up at her.

Amber's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. He'd lost his memory.

Seeing Amber's face and her reaction, Danny decided this wasn't the time for a prank.

"No, no! Amber, I'm only kidding. I do remember you." He said quickly.

Amber's face turned from upset and shocked to angry and infuriated. She didn't see the funny side of that prank, but all she could do was pretend it didn't happen. After she'd hit him of course.

"Ow!" He protested. "I already hurt enough, thank you very much."

"Danny! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to do that it was just that I was so nervous and I attacked you too soon but I didn't mean it it just happened and . . ." Cassidy said, her eyes going all watery now.

"Cass!" He said, putting up a hand in a stop sign. "You're rambling. It's OK. See, I'm fine."

"Yeah, I know. But still, I'm so sorry!" She said.

"Right. My head's coming back down to me now, so I can guess who you are. Melanie, right?" He asked, looking at Melanie.

"Right." She replied, smiling. "Bugger! I'll be right back. I dropped my bag to get you. Let's just hope it's still there," and she started running off.

Danny watched her run off until he was sure she was out of hearing distance.

"Anyone wanna fill me in?" He said.

"Right, Cass attacked you a bit too soon and you got knocked out and you flew over the edge of the building and Mel saw you and ran **_really _**quickly and ran up those boxes and jumped and pulled that cord and that thing came out and you landed on it." Tyson explained quickly.

"Thanks, I guess. But I'd better thank Mel when she gets back. And does this let her qualify to become a VIP? I mean, that's how you normally join specific clubs. 'Be the son or daughter of a member, or save the life of a member.' So, what do you say?" He quoted.

"Yeah, sure." Tyson said. He laughed to himself. As if you'd have to be the son or daughter of a member or save a member's life. There'd be no members at all if that was the only way to join. He was the main person that established if a person became a VIP or not, seeing as he was the World Champion. Other VIPs could raise the issue, or ask, but at the end of the day, only a member of the Bladebreakers could say the final word.

When Melanie started walking back, with her bag, she got crowded by a group of tall people. It was hard to tell what they were doing, but they wouldn't let her leave.

Danny got up and started walking over to them, followed by the Bladebreakers, Toni, Cassidy and Amber. As they got closer, they realised it was a television camera crew, as they could see the big microphones and the cameras.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Danny said, as he could see Melanie did not want to be there.

The presenter who was asking Melanie loads of questions, looked over to see who had spoken. When she saw Danny, her attention turned to him and the Bladebreakers behind him.

"Hi. I'm Christina Cookson from BBC Midlands today. I was wondering if you'd take some time to answer a few questions about your dramatic event. Why did you fall off of a 15-storey building? Did you fall? Or did someone push you? Did the Bladebreakers here think you were too tough competition for them, so they decided to get rid of you? How do you feel towards the girl who saved you?" She asked Danny quickly, not even waiting for an answer.

"What's your problem?" Danny said, giving her a dirty look that said 'Piss off'. "Like I'd have some stupid story about me **_falling_**, not being pushed, off of a building on the telly. What do you think I am? Fucking star-struck? Wanting the tiniest chance to be on the telly? I don't think so, do you?" He snapped. "What the hell are you doing here anyway? I don't think I was supposed to fall, so you weren't supposed to be here."

"Well, I . . . erm . . . there was another story, just across the road, but we weren't getting anywhere with it. I turned around, and told the crew to film, because I saw you falling." The presenter explained.

"I always envied TV presenters. How they can come up with lies so quickly. Whatever you were doing here, piss off. There's nothing to see here." Danny said, imitating a police officer.

The presenter looked quite taken aback by his response. She stammered for a moment, and then turned back to face Melanie. But Melanie just stuck her middle finger up at her and walked off, back towards Amber's house. She really couldn't be bothered to prevent herself from getting hassled by an airhead television presenter and a camera crew that looked drugged up.

Amber said goodbye to the others, and said she'd talk to them at school, and hurried off after Melanie. The others gave her the OK sign, and then quickly walked away from the cameras.


	24. Chapter 24

The next day at school, during Technology, Cassidy was thinking about her mistake the day before. She hadn't had much chance to think it through the night before, as she was busy with her homework and generally helping Matt around the house, and then during Art, she and Kai had been talking about which techniques were best for each certain type of sketch.

She was really starting to wonder if she was worthy of Beyblading, let alone controlling one of the most powerful bit beasts ever. She had made one tiny mistake, but that could've been enough to kill someone. In Beyblading, any mistake was a lesson to learn from, and second chances were usual, but third chances were rare.

All she had done was release her Beyblade just over a week ago, for the first time ever, as before she had never even touched a Beyblade, and then Sunrise took place in the white bit-chip. Why her, and why then? What was so important about that time? Was it something to do with the bond between Sunrise and Nightfall, or was it just any time?

When the bell rang for lunch, Cassidy slowly put her stuff away, still thinking about it all. She wandered over to the Bladebreakers tree, and sat down, not even acknowledging the fact that everyone else was there, minus Danny.

She seemed to move robotically. She didn't say anything to anybody, she was that deep in her thoughts, and only snapped out of it when Kai clapped his hands loudly.

"Awake?" He asked, as she blinked herself back to actuality.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"What's on your mind?" Kai asked, looking at her. Something was up, because she'd been a bit distant yesterday, as well as today.

"Nothing . . ." she said, but she knew she wasn't fooling anybody. She sighed, before giving her answer. "I'm thinking of giving up Beyblading."

Everybody gasped, and Kai just grabbed her hand. He stared at her in the eyes, and Cassidy was kinda scared. His eyes were cold yet burning. Plain yet full of emotion.

"Cass, if anyone here was to give up Beyblading, I never thought you would be the first one. What's brought all this up?" He said, not letting go of her hand.

"Well, the accident yesterday. Mistakes shouldn't be allowed in Beyblading, and that was a tiny mistake that led to a huge accident. What would happen if I made a huge mistake? Why have I got so much responsibility of looking after one of the most powerful bit beasts? It should be you . . . or Tyson . . . or Max or Ray. You've all got the skills needed to control it and not make mistakes, and I'm only a rookie." Cassidy said.

"If you'd have seen me when I first got Dragoon, you'd be surprised." Said Tyson. "He didn't do what I wanted at first, and I can tell you, there were a few times I wanted to give up. But you. You say that you're a rookie. If we battled and I was still a rookie and I'd only just got Dragoon, you'd win, hands down." Tyson said.

"Cass. You can't give up now. Danny forgives you, and you know that. Promise me you won't quit before I do. Promise me." He said, still gripping her hand tight.

Cassidy stopped to think about it. Her friends obviously had faith in her, but that wasn't enough. She knew she had to have faith in herself to continue; otherwise there'd be no point to her promise whatsoever.

"OK. I promise." She said.

"Thanks," Kai said, smiling.

"So," Cassidy said, changing the subject slyly. "What happened to Danny? I'm sure he was here this morning." She said, pulling out a sandwich from her bag.

"He's skipping lunch. He's gone to talk to Melanie about yesterday, because he said he didn't get a proper chance to yesterday." Amber said.

"Right. Will he be back before registration? I just wanna apologize to him again." Cassidy said. No matter how hard she tried to make herself understand that he'd forgave her, she couldn't, unless she heard him say it. Last time, all he said was he was OK, not that he forgave her.

"He said he'll be back," Toni said. "But I suppose we won't know until later."

Thankfully, Cassidy got a chance to apologize again to Danny before registration, and he laughed. He said that of course he forgave her; it was just a mistake. Cassidy felt that a great weight had been lifted from her chest. She still wasn't sure about Sunrise, but decided to ignore it for the time being. Or at least until after her birthday.

Her birthday. She was really excited now, thinking about it. She was gonna have a house full of friends, and have a great time. She wasn't even bothered if none of them bought her a present or a card, she was just glad she was their friend.

At the end of the day, Melanie was waiting for them on the wall. She didn't see them coming, as she was daydreaming. Toni crept up behind her, and tapped her on her left shoulder, and as Melanie turned around to see who it was, Toni jumped down on her right side. But Melanie didn't seem shocked, so she definitely wasn't scared.

"Aw! That always used to work with Kel!" Toni moaned.

"Moo-ha," Melanie said, and then the others came over and sat down with them for a bit.

"Changing to a cow, huh? Didn't feel right being a girl?" Tyson joked.

Melanie broke into forceful fits of laughter, and then stopped suddenly, with a straight face. "No." She said plainly.

"What's with the 'moo-ha' business then?" Max asked.

"I dunno. I suppose it's one of my many trademarks. I say moo-ha, and woo-moo. And instead of swearing or some words, I'll say moo. Example, moo off or oh my moo." She shrugged, and the others laughed.

Everyone was laughing and chatting, except Danny. He seemed unusually quiet, and just sat there, with the occasional laugh or comment.

"Hey Danny. You OK now?" Melanie asked.

He half nodded, half shrugged. It was like he didn't know what to say to her.

"Right," she said, raising an eyebrow, and nodding her head slowly. "And I've got a bone to pick with you mister. Where's my 'Thank you very much for saving my life'?" Melanie said, resting her elbow on her knee, and then her chin on her hand.

"Are you dumb? Danny came down at lunchtime to talk to you about it. Or do you suffer from short-term memory loss?" Ray said.

"No one came down to talk to me. I was all by my one dot com all day." Melanie said, shaking her head.

Danny started blushing. She was right. He'd told the others he was going to talk to Melanie, which he had every intention of doing, but when he got to the door; he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he'd just wandered the streets, thinking of what he could say to her when he saw her, but didn't know, so he gave up and returned to school, but he definitely didn't expect to see her so soon.

"Ooh! Danny's got a girlfriend!" teased Amber, seeing her friend blush.

Melanie started blushing as well, but that soon disappeared when Danny stood up and shouted: "I fucking well haven't!" and then ran off. So he wasn't interested in her.

"What's up with him?" said the familiar voice that belonged to a turquoise haired boy, walking up to them, but watching Danny as he ran past.

"Oh, hey Zeo. Danny's just in a mood cos I said that he's got a girlfriend." Amber shrugged.

"Who did you mean?" Zeo asked, looking a bit confused.

No one said anything, but they all glanced quickly at Melanie. Thankfully, she was still watching Danny run down the road, and didn't notice everybody glance at her.

"Oh." Said Zeo, nodding his head slightly. "By the way, how are you Melanie?" He asked politely.

"I'm fine, thanks. And call me Mel. Everyone else does." She said. "Do you think Danny will be OK?" she asked.

"Dunno. He's never really blushed at anything so I've never had to tease him so he's never run off." Amber said.

"I'm gonna go and see if he's alright." Melanie said, jumping down from the wall. "I'll catch you all later, yeah?" But before an answer could be given to her, she'd grabbed her bag, flung it over her shoulder and ran down the road, in the same direction that Danny had.

Melanie ran down the road, her bag controlled well, staying tight on her back, but there was the occasional clunk from inside her bag, where her mobile was bouncing around. She had a waterproof camera phone, because her parents sent her lots of pocket money whilst she was at Madame Luton's, so she could splash out on all the new gadgets, including an MP3 player, a GameBoy Advance SP, a laptop, and a camera phone, but of course, only her phone was in her bag. Her other gadgets were at Amber's.

On her phone she was always messing about with the camera, taking pictures of the most unnecessary things. She had loads of pictures of her mates from Madame Luton's, and pictures of her trophies she'd won in the past.

She saw Danny in the not too far distance, and he was slowing down, until he was just jogging at a steady pace. Melanie didn't know what she was going to say to him, especially since he'd run off after being accused of fancying her. She decided against thinking about what she was going to say to him, and just go and talk to him. She was more of a spur of the moment type of person, which sometimes got her into trouble.

She kept running, and slowed down only when she got just behind him.

"Moo." She said, poking her head over his shoulder.

"Scary." Danny said sarcastically.

"Sorry. Are you OK? I mean, you just ran off . . ." Melanie said, but got cut off by Danny.

"Yeah. That's normally a sign that someone wants to be on their own." He said, walking faster, but Melanie kept up the pace.

"Yeah, and someone running after that person that ran off is normally a sign that they're worried about their friend." Melanie said. Danny started walking even faster. "You know, I don't think you can out-run me, so I don't think you've got a chance of out-walking me. Just talk to me." She said, staying by his side.

Danny slowed down, back to a steady walk. He sighed, and realised that this conversation could get awkward if Melanie said something that he really didn't want. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything. But firstly, why you ran off." Melanie said, which was exactly what Danny was dreading.

"Well, I don't like being made fun of. I thought that was pretty obvious, don't you?" Danny said.

"Well, that bit's obvious." Said Melanie, sitting on a wall on the corner of a road. She patted the space next to her, indicating for Danny to sit down with her, which he did. "But the bit that isn't obvious is why you blushed when Amber said 'Ooh! Danny's got a girlfriend!'" Melanie said, looking at him.

"Yeah, well . . ." Said Danny, thinking fast. He couldn't tell her the truth, not when he'd only known her for a day, and when he'd got his reputation to think about. "I'm not used to people saying I have a girlfriend, as my reputation around the school is to flirt a lot, but never get into a relationship. I can't even have people joking about it, cos rumours spread pretty quickly around Smithton. If anyone saw me blushing, that's goodbye to all the years of hard work I put into getting the perfect reputation." He was actually quite impressed with what he'd came up with, and how quickly he had done it, even if Melanie didn't look like she believed him 100.

"Right." She said. So he wasn't interested in her. He was only looking out for himself and his reputation. She strongly decided against making the first move, because he'd just said clearly that rumours spread fast, and then he might lose his flirty reputation and then he might hate her, and Melanie definitely didn't want that.

"Do you reckon the others will still tease me about it?" Danny asked.

"Nah. It's probably just one of those things that's said and then it gets forgotten." Melanie explained.

"I hope so . . ." said Danny quietly, as though he was talking to himself.

"Come on, I'll show you. I bet you when we get back, they'll have forgotten all about it . . ." started Melanie, standing up and grabbing Danny's sleeve, trying to drag him back to the others.

"Nah, I'll speak to them tomorrow." Said Danny. "Do you want a drink or anything? I only live about ten minutes away, so we can grab something there."

"Yeah, go on then." Melanie said. If he wasn't interested in her as his girlfriend, at least she could be a close friend.

So the pair started walking back to Danny's house. It was hard for either of them to spark up a conversation, but once they got going on a particular subject, they both chattered away.

"So, you said you're into sports, and you got trophies for your team. Was it just one trophy for your footie team?" Danny asked.

"Nah. I got trophies for loads of stuff. Football, rugby, tennis, netball, swimming, athletics, so running and high jump and long jump and stuff." Melanie replied, counting off just a few of the sports that she'd won trophies for.

"I bet you're just bragging." Said Danny. "No one can get trophies for all of them,"

"How much do you wanna make that wager?" Melanie asked, sliding her bag off of her back and rooting through it for her phone.

"Somehow I don't trust you anymore . . ." said Danny.

Melanie grinned. She clicked different buttons on her phone, bringing up a whole list of different photos she'd saved. She flicked through the ones of her mates from Madame Luton's, and stopped when she got to the trophies and medals. She turned her phone round so it was facing Danny, and then she pressed the arrow facing down at regular intervals, flicking through the photos.

"OK, so you did get all those trophies." Danny said, taking back what he'd said before. Melanie laughed and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Told you so!" she giggled.

"Where did you get that phone from? Was it a prize for winning something?" Danny asked.

"Nope. My mom and dad used to send me loads of cash, so I spent some of it on new stuff." Melanie said. "Let's have a piccy then," She added, and before Danny got a chance to argue or pose, Melanie pressed a button, and took the photo.

"No fair! I wasn't ready!" Danny protested.

"Oh my God! Look at your face!" Melanie laughed, and showed the screen to Danny.

He saw a picture of himself, his mouth slightly open, his eyes not looking at the camera but over the top, and his hand on his head, as though he was scratching it in thought.

"See! I was going to sort my hair out for you so you could have a nice photo . . ." Danny started to say, and then he realised Melanie hadn't got a strong grip on her phone. He grabbed it from her hand and started to run down the road. He was looking at the screen, trying to figure out how to delete the photo.

"You're such an idiot! I've just shown you all the trophies I've got for sport, so what makes you think you can outrun me? Give it back before I hurt you. Sport includes karate, tai-kwon-do, kick-boxing, and pretty much all the other self-defence classes." Melanie said, holding her hand out.

Danny just laughed, so it was obvious he wasn't going to just hand it over. Melanie rolled her eyes and looked at the sky. She slowly put her bag back on her back, and started off at a steady jog, which could've been classed as a sprint to someone who wasn't too good at sport.

She was already catching up to Danny, and he was sprinting.

"Last chance," she said, gradually picking up her pace.

As Danny heard Melanie's voice, he looked around, and saw her no farther than 10 metres away from him. He ran faster and faster, and then darted around the corner. Melanie jumped up onto a wall, and then onto an awning, and then jumped again, using the awning as a trampoline, to get up onto a small balcony above it. She ran along it, and then dived off of the end, but turning around and grabbing the pole that was across the top of the balcony wall. Keeping hold of the bar, she swung around, let go of the pole and landed right in front of Danny.

Danny stopped in shock. He thought Melanie was still running behind him, yet she just dropped in front of him.

"Gotcha," she grinned, but Danny still looked like he wasn't going to give up her phone that easily. He clutched the camera phone in both of his hands and held them tight to his chest.

Melanie sighed. She really didn't want to have to hurt him, but she really wanted her phone back.

She stuck her right foot out and grabbed his arm, and she pulled him over her outstretched foot, causing him to trip. Melanie didn't let him fall straight to the floor, but lowered him down until he was on the ground. Danny was now facing down to the floor, and Melanie put her foot on his back, so he couldn't get up.

"You've got two choices here. 1) You give me back my phone and I'll let you up, and then we can still go and get a drink, or 2) You don't give me back my phone, I move my foot up onto your neck, break your neck, send you straight to hospital, and then you can spend a couple of weeks drinking from a tube that goes up your nose." Melanie said, hands on her hips.

"You could break my neck, just like that?" Danny said.

"Yep. I've tried it before," She joked, but Danny took her seriously. After he hadn't believed her about a couple of things, and then she'd proved him wrong, he thought he'd better do as she said. He managed to slide his arm out from underneath his body as it was being pushed to the floor, and he opened his hand with Melanie's phone in.

"Thanks," she said, bending down and picking it up. Then she lifted her foot up off of his back, and helped him up.

"No problem," Danny replied. "Just one question. Where did you come from?" He asked.

"Do you want me to show you what I did?" She said. "It might be more dangerous, but it's a lot easier than trying to explain it to you."

"If it's more dangerous, then no, its OK." Danny said, putting up one hand.

"Well, it is, but I've had plenty of practise. I used to do it all the time. Look, I'll show you," Melanie said. "Go and stand on the other side of the road so you can see me properly."

So, as Danny crossed the road, Melanie walked back up the road where she'd started her little technique.

"So you ran around here, so I took a short cut. Watch!" Melanie shouted to Danny. She ran forwards, jumped onto the wall and then onto the awning. She used that as a trampoline again, so she could get up onto the balcony. She started to run along it quite quickly.

Danny didn't like the look of this. 'At this rate she's just gonna go straight over the edge and kill herself,' He thought. He gasped as he saw her dive off the edge of the balcony, but a sigh of relief took hold of him as she span around, grabbed hold of the pole, and land safely on the ground.

"OK, OK. Just don't do any more dangerous stunts, right? I'm not used to my heart beating so fast." Danny said, releasing a huge sigh as she walked over, unharmed.

"Maybe you should get a bit fitter. Then you'd be used to your working heart rate." Melanie suggested.

"Are you saying I'm unfit?" Danny said, jokily.

"Yes." Melanie said with a straight face, and nodded.

Then the pair both started laughing, and carried on to Danny's house. Meanwhile, a girl with long mousey hair and bronze highlights that was tied up into a bun, stood up from behind some bushes and grinned.


	25. Chapter 25

At Danny's, Melanie was sitting on an inflatable silver chair, while Danny was making some drinks for them. She looked around his room. It was dark blue with a few spots of silver dotted around. It wasn't necessarily tidy, but it wasn't that messy either. There were a few clothes chucked on the floor, like socks and shirts, and guitar plectrums everywhere. Melanie spied his electric guitar leaning against a wall by his window, so she went over and picked it up. It was a Flying V guitar, which she'd always wanted, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't save her money to get one. She'd forget about saving up, and spend her money, only then to realise she'd have to save up again.

At that moment, whilst Melanie was trying on Danny's guitar, Danny came into his room with 2 glasses of lemonade.

"So, you like it?" Danny asked, putting one of the glasses on his desk, and then drinking from the other.

"Yeah. I could never save up enough money to get a Flying V." She said, inspecting it closely.

"Have a go with it if you want," Danny said. He went over and plugged in the amplifier, and then he went and sat down on the inflatable chair that Melanie had just got off.

"OK," she said. She grabbed the first plectrum that came to hand, which was a black one with a silver Celtic design on it.

She messed about with the volume on the amplifier for a minute or two, and then quietly strummed out one chord. Then she readjusted the tuning needles at the top.

"How long has it been out of tune?" Melanie asked.

"Dunno. A while, I guess." He shrugged.

After retuning the guitar, Melanie put her fingers on a particular chord, and strummed it out. It sounded much better. She moved her fingers onto another chord, and started playing a tune from the movie, School of Rock. It was quick, heavy, and very loud.

Danny started nodding his head with the beat of the music.

Then the guitar got suddenly a lot quieter. The amplifier stopped working. Melanie stopped playing, and knelt down to see what was wrong with it. The switch said that it was still on, yet there was no red light indicating it was.

"Vicki," Danny whispered, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" Melanie asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing. I'm just gonna go and check the fuse hasn't broke downstairs. Sometimes my electricity something or other blows out, so I have to go and reset it. Be back in a minute." He lied, before jumping up from his chair, and running back down the stairs.

Melanie was still trying to figure out what had happened. If it was the fuse, then wouldn't it have cut off all the electricity in his room? That would've meant that his silver lava lamp should have stopped working too, yet it was fine.

"Hey," came a voice from the doorway.

Melanie spun around to see who it was. If it was Danny, he would've just come back in, not stand in the doorway and say, "Hey."

Leaning against the doorframe was a very tall young woman. She looked about 20 or 21, just because of her facial features. There was nothing distinctive about her face that would make her stand out from other women her age, but it was just . . . very shapely. She had long, mousey coloured hair with bronze highlights, which had been tied up into a high ponytail. She had the same cheeky smile and blue eyes that Danny had; yet her eyes had a tint of green to them. At the moment, she was wearing a long black leather jacket, so it was nearly impossible to tell what she was wearing underneath.

"Come here, I wanna show you something," She said.

Melanie narrowed her eyes. Who was it?

"Why don't you show me from where you are now?" Melanie said.

"It's not like I can show you with all this junk on the floor. Come on, then I'll introduce myself." The girl added. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She couldn't take the chance of staying standing there, in case it was Danny. She quickly ran into the room, took the guitar from Melanie, pulled her out of Danny's room, into a different room, and she shut the door. She peeped through the gap, and thankfully it was just her mom.

This room was a lot different. It was a black room, and in the middle of it was a four-poster double bed. It had purple and magenta drapes coming from the bed, and there were even purple and magenta curtains. There were a lot of CDs dotted around.

"Before you show me anything, who are you?" Melanie asked.

"Sshhh! Keep your voice down!" The girl said, putting her fingers on her lips. "On my birth certificate it says Victoria Jones, but everyone calls me Vicki."

Melanie's eyebrows lifted, and her mouth opened slightly. She didn't know that Danny had a sister. But then again, she only met him the other day, and she didn't get to talk to him much then.

Vicki undone her buttons down her jacket, and slung it over her bed. She was wearing a black sleeveless top with a pink rabbit head and 'Playboy' written underneath, cropped hipster dark blue jeans, and slip on white trainers with a blue streak down the middle.

"Playboy, huh?" Melanie said, grinning.

"Yeah, why not?" Vicki shrugged. "Right, now you know who I am, you can tell me who you are." Vicki said.

"But . . . you were the one who spoke to me. Shouldn't you know who I am already?" Melanie said, now confused.

"Logistics. They don't always work." Vicki said. "And before you ask, I don't know if that was the right word. It just sounded cool. Anyway, spill."

"I'm Melanie Hunt, and I'm one of Danny's mates." Melanie said. "So what is it you wanted to show me?"

"Not show you exactly. First things first, I saw you earlier, with the whole diving off the balcony stunt. Where did you learn how to do that?" Vicki asked.

"I didn't learn. I'm just sporty and stuff, so I've done a lot of stunts, and most of them work out." Melanie replied.

"Most of them?" Said Vicki, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you can't be perfect, can you?" Melanie replied. Vicki nodded her head to the side as she saw Melanie's point.

"So, I was wondering if you'd like to help me out. I'm starting my own dance class on Wednesday nights from 6 til 7, and a gymnastics class on Friday nights from 7 til 8. At the moment, there's me, and 2 of my mates who said they'd give me a hand, but they aren't brilliant at gymnastics or dance. They're good, but I need one more person who's a bit more advanced. Think you'd wanna go?" Vicki asked.

"Well . . . I dunno . . ." Melanie said, hesitating.

"I'll pay you £15 each week. So that's two hours for £15." Vicki said, trying to persuade her to help out.

'More money,' Thought Melanie. 'That's what my life has always been about. Money. I wonder if I can find better things to do with it than just spend it all on myself . . .' She wondered.

Vicki saw Melanie thinking about it. She obviously wasn't going to give her an answer right then and there, so she decided to give her some time to think about it, plus Danny would be back up any minute.

"Go away and think about it for me, yeah?" Vicki said. "I'm heading out now, and it'd be better if you didn't tell Danny you met me. See you around," Vicki said. She grabbed a smaller jacket from her wardrobe, a pink one, the same colour as the logo of the rabbit head, and ran down the stairs. Just as she opened the door, Danny stepped out from the living room.

"Where've you been?" He said, glaring at her.

"In my room, why?" She asked sweetly.

"I know you pulled the fuse out. And now it's broke. I can't play my guitar in my room any more. I hope you're happy." He said.

"Very." She grinned evilly, before leaving the house and slamming the door shut.

Danny growled, before stomping back up the stairs. He stamped into his room and slammed his door shut. Melanie was sitting on the inflatable chair again, and was a bit taken aback by Danny's return.

"Is everything OK?" Melanie asked.

"No. The god damn fuse has broke, so I can't plug the amps in." Danny said.

"Well, at least you can still play your guitar." Melanie shrugged.

"I guess," he said, and he threw himself face down onto his bed.

Melanie felt a bit awkward. She walked over to his bed and sat down next to it. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on his cheek. She decided she might as well make the first move, because she would never be able to forget the way she felt towards him.

She really wanted to have some time to herself to think through Vicki's proposal, but she didn't want to leave because she wanted to stay with Danny. She decided that she'd ask Danny if he wanted her to leave, and then she could do what he wanted. Either way, she'd win.

"Do you want me to go?" Melanie said.

"If you like." Was all Danny said.

Melanie rolled her eyes. He seriously couldn't be that upset at the fuse breaking. The only problem was that he couldn't plug the amplifier in. How big a problem was that?

"You either want me to go, or you don't. Which is it?" Melanie asked, wanting a specific answer.

Danny didn't say anything, and Melanie noticed a bit of movement from his shoulders. Maybe he'd shrugged.

"Danny, give me an answer." She demanded. She secretly wanted him to say 'No, don't go. Stay with me', but that wasn't the reply she got.

"Fine! Go!" He said, throwing his arms forward and slamming them on his pillow.

"Fine. I will." Melanie said. She threw her bag onto her back and walked down the stairs. "No wonder you haven't got a girlfriend with your mood swings!" She cried back up the stairs, before leaving and slamming the door behind her.

She stormed down the road with a face like fire. Her eyes were blazing, and she was grinding her teeth. How could he just tell her to go? That was just so rude, and Melanie did not tolerate insolence. She headed towards the school to see if the others were still there, and when she got to the adjacent road and saw that they were, she realised: what was she going to tell them?

If she did tell them that she'd gone back to his house with him, they'd think that she was his girlfriend again. He was already in a mood with her, and she didn't want to make it permanent.

She went to turn back around and go home, but it was too late. They'd already seen her, and were waving at her to go over. She pretended that she hadn't seen them, and was going to walk straight down the road, but they all got up and ran over to her.

"Hey! What happened? Where've you been?" asked Max, looking happy again. Since the accident, he hadn't looked so happy. Maybe he was finally beginning to understand that he had to move on.

"Nothing and nowhere." Melanie said plainly, but not stopping.

"Well, where're you going?" Asked Ray.

"Dunno. For a wander, I suppose." Melanie said, and carried on walking, but they wouldn't leave her alone. She knew she had to get away; otherwise they wouldn't quit bugging her. Plus, she couldn't lie as she knew she wasn't much good of a liar. They all stayed by her side, following her like the rats to the Pied Piper.

"Something must have happened. I mean, you've been gone for ages." Amber said.

"Yeah," agreed Cassidy.

"Nothing happened! I went after him but I lost him. I tried to find him, but he disappeared! Now, can you please leave me alone?" Melanie said, walking faster.

"That's clearly a lie, so until you tell us the truth, no." Kai said.

"Well if you won't give me some peace, I'll have to go and get it." She said without turning around to look at any of them.

Melanie started running again, and then she noticed how much running she'd done in the past two days. But it wasn't like she wasn't used to it; she used to do two hours of athletics training each day, except on weekends, when it was two and a half.

"Hey! Get your butt back here!" Toni said, but there was no reaction from Melanie, so all nine of them ran after Melanie.

Even though they couldn't catch up to her, they could still see her and they figured which way she was running, as she wouldn't have known where else to go in the direction that she was running.

Zeo said quietly to the Bladebreakers to take the shortcut down by the river, across the stepping-stones and to stop Melanie from getting off the bridge that side. The Bladebreakers nodded, before shooting through some bushes and down a hill.

As Toni, Amber and Zeo ran after Melanie, with Cassidy going as fast as she could behind them, the Bladebreakers had already hopped across the stepping-stones. As the river was the main river in town, it was quite deep, yet the stepping-stones were actually boulders that had been dumped, predictably by teenagers messing around. The Bladebreakers were already halfway towards the bridge on the other side.

Zeo's plan had worked, and Melanie turned right onto the bridge, not knowing that the Bladebreakers were already now on the other side. When she saw them, she was about to turn back, but the girls and Zeo were blocking that exit. She was trapped, so she had to tell them about her kissing him. Or did she?

"You've got nowhere to go, so tell us: What have you been up to?" Cassidy said.

"Have I really got nowhere to go?" Melanie said, and flicked her head backwards, indicating to the water.

"Well, yeah, cos I mean, we're at this end and the others are at that end . . ." said Toni, who hadn't noticed Melanie's sign.

Melanie was now standing in the middle of the bridge, and the others were closing in, step by step.

Melanie saw them getting closer, and they could strike and grab her at any minute. So she made her move.

"Now, I wouldn't give up that easily," she said. She climbed up onto the railing behind her, and got her balance properly, as it was only a thin railing. She then turned around so she was facing the bridge again, rather than the river.

Everyone else gasped, and their eyes were wide open. They all started rambling things to her to get down because she might fall and she could really hurt herself or that they'll let her go but she mustn't jump.

"Who said I'm gonna fall?" Melanie teased, and with excellent precision so she didn't fall, she pretended to start to lose her balance.

Everyone screamed and went to run forward, but Melanie held up her hand.

"You might all run forward and crash, making me fall. So, who wants to help me down, carefully?" Melanie said, holding out her hand, as though she truthfully wanted to get down.

Everyone started walking forward slowly, each of them holding out a hand to steady her, but Melanie's hand came up again.

"I don't trust you. But that's no surprise, as you don't trust me. I said nothing happened, so you don't believe me. I'll get down my own way, thanks." Melanie said.

She told everyone to step back, in case she fell forward and hurt anyone, and crouched down, still standing on the railing. It looked like she was about to climb down, when she sprung up again, flying backwards off of the railing. She did a perfect backwards flip, before flipping half again so she was in a diving position. She raised her hands above her head (so they were actually closer to the water), and took a deep breath. With a splash, she hit the water.

"OH MY GOD!" Everybody cried, rushing forward and leaning over the railing to see if she was OK, but there was no sign of her.

"Melanie!" They all cried, their eyes scanning for any sign of her, but still, nothing.

Then, Melanie's purpley-red head bobbed above the surface. She had a huge grin on her face, and was waving to them. "See ya!" She cried, before diving back down and swimming rapidly. She swam right down the river, until she was sure they couldn't see her anymore. She climbed out at the bank of the river, and then went into the forest.


	26. Chapter 26

It was getting dark quickly. Melanie had been sitting in the forest for a few hours now, and was getting pretty cold. Her clothes hadn't dried properly from her swim in the river, as the sun didn't make an appearance.

It was starting to rain, and Melanie cursed under her breath. Could this day get any worse? She was already wet, so what harm could the rain do? But she decided she'd best make a shelter, as it looked like she was there for the night.

She gathered some leaves and branches, and started to build them up like a tent. It took her a while, but soon enough, Melanie was fast asleep under the protection of her newly made cover.

The rain stopped not long after Melanie had fallen asleep, and about an hour later, Melanie was awoken by a ripping sound. At first, she couldn't place what it was, but then she looked out from her tent, and could see a girl around her age and height, but she was facing the opposite way.

Melanie squinted her eyes to get a better look, and saw she was wearing a light blue tie-dye belly-top, a longish lilac skirt, and cream sandals where the lace was tied around her ankle before going up her leg. It certainly looked like she wasn't supposed to be out in the forest, not with the way she was dressed.

The ripping sound turned out to be a Beyblade spinning, and tearing off chunks from a nearby tree. Melanie rooted in her bag and pulled out her camera phone, taking pictures of the Beyblade in action.

Because it was dark, the camera on Melanie's phone flashed as the picture took, causing the girl to turn around. She had short dark brown hair, brown eyes and a golden hoop ring through her lip. Melanie couldn't tell if it was real or fake, but it looked pretty cool. Up both of the girl's arms were multi-coloured rubber bangles; red, blue, green, yellow, black, silver, orange, brown and pink.

"What are you doing out here?" Asked the girl.

"Camping, what does it look like?" Melanie asked. "What are you doing out here?"

"True enough. I'm just practising. I'm Natalie by the way. Natalie Woods." The girl greeted, walking over to Melanie and holding out her hand.

"Melanie Hunt, but everyone calls me Mel," Melanie said, shaking her hand. "No offence or anything, but you don't look as though you should be out here blading. I mean, you'd be wearing more sensible clothes if you were coming out into the forest."

"There's no fooling you, is there?" Natalie said, grinning. She held out her hand and her blade flew into the palm of it. "Truthfully, I was going to a friend's house, but then I thought 'Sod it.' and I came out here. It's a good place for training." She said.

"Loads of people are blading, aren't they?" Melanie said, feeling a little left out. Everybody else could talk about Beyblading, but all she could do was listen in.

"Yeah, I know. Don't you blade then?" Natalie asked.

"You catch on fast. No, I don't Beyblade, but I do all the other sports." Melanie said.

"Cool. Changing the subject, why are you camping on your own?" Natalie asked. It was obvious she was very inquisitive.

"Well . . ." Melanie started, and then she indicated for Natalie to come and sit down next to her. Melanie had a jacket lain out on the floor, which she'd been sleeping on. She always kept a waterproof jacket in her bag in case it rained, and now she was using it as a blanket.

Natalie sat down next to Melanie under the tent of leaves and branches, and Melanie told Natalie about her running away from her friends because they didn't believe her and she couldn't go home because she was staying with her friend because she'd been kicked out of her boarding school.

"Right. I see where you're coming from now. Do you wanna come and stay with me? Cos I got loads of space at home." Natalie offered.

"No, I'll be OK, thanks." Melanie said, smiling in appreciation. "Anyway, why would you invite me back to your house. I mean, you've only known me for ten minutes. I could be a serial murderer, or a burglar." Melanie asked.

"There you go. That proves you're not. If you were, you wouldn't have said that you could be one, and you would've said OK and came back to my house straight away. But I would've run off if you did follow me. So you've passed my tiny initiation test to stay with me. Come on," Natalie said. She grabbed Melanie's wrist and dragged her off, after Melanie had gathered up her stuff.

On the way to Natalie's house, Melanie was still trying to figure out how Natalie had used like a reverse-psychology technique to get her to stay with her. Her head was pretty messed up.

As they turned down a short road, a gang of four boys were standing outside one of the houses. They looked about 16 or 17, and Melanie always felt a bit intimidated by groups of older boys.

One of them, the one with short wild teal hair and bright purple eyes, who was wearing a white shirt with a peace gesture on the front, bright blue trousers, and white and blue trainers, wolf whistled as the two walked past. So Natalie stopped, and Melanie had to as well, as she didn't know where exactly she was going.

"Get a life, Tyler." Natalie said.

"Aww, come on Nats, you know you like him really!" Said another one, laughing. He had short spiky black hair, black eyes, and pale skin, so he was clearly a Goth. His clothes also added to the Goth style, as he was wearing a black muscle shirt, black flared jeans and black trainers. Around his waist was a heavy silver chain, and a thick silver ring with three spikes took place on his right middle finger.

"Like he'd have a chance, Rudy." Natalie retorted.

"Who's your friend, then?" asked the third one. He had short neat navy blue hair, and navy blue eyes. He was wearing a plain white shirt with a pen in the chest pocket, navy blue trousers, and white trainers, so he looked very smart.

"Since when do you take interest in who my friends are, Tom?" Natalie asked, cocking her head on the side.

"Like anyone cares who your friends are!" said the last of the four. He looked the strangest, according to his hair. It was spiky and icy blue in colour. His eyes were a bluey-grey, and he was wearing a white shirt with ripped sleeves, to make him look a bit more menacing. He had sky blue trousers on and grey trainers.

"Well obviously your brother does, Trent." Natalie snapped.

"So, answer his question. Who's your friend?" Asked Tyler.

"Guys, this is Melanie Hunt. Mel, these are Tyler, Thomas and Trent LaVelle, and Rudy Nixon. They're always hanging out down here." Natalie said.

"Hey," Melanie greeted. She kept very quiet, and just kept her eyes fixed on the floor.

"What's up with her? Don't she talk much?" Asked Trent.

"Not sure. I've only just met her." Natalie said.

"Pure Natalie. Making friends with someone in just 2 seconds of meeting them." Laughed Rudy.

"Not just that. She's staying at mine tonight as well." Natalie grinned.

"What if she's a serial murderer or a burglar or an escaped mental patient?" Asked Thomas.

"Don't you think I asked her that?" She said, jokingly. "But seriously, I wouldn't invite someone home if they could be dangerous." Then she turned to Melanie. "So, Mel, do you talk much?"

Melanie just shrugged. "I suppose."

"Doesn't sound like it to me." Said Trent.

"Oh, shut up." Natalie said to Trent, but it actually only sounded like 'shup', due to the speed Natalie had said it, and then she turned and faced Melanie again. "So, why the sudden quietness then?"

Melanie didn't really want to tell Natalie, let alone in front of all the boys, three of which were related to the problem. Literally. The three brothers, Tyler, Thomas and Trent, all had the surname LaVelle, the same as Kelly's. Which meant . . . they were Toni's brothers? How come she hadn't told her about them?

"Come on, purple head." Said Rudy.

"The name's Mel!" Snapped Melanie. He hadn't got anything to do with it, so he might as well butt his head out.

"Whatever," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Just tell us," Natalie said. "I think we'll be able to handle anything. We're used to stuff." She said, smiling.

"Nothing like this." Melanie said under her breath, but Tyler caught it.

"Try us."

"You truthfully wanna know why I'm not talking to you guys?" Melanie said, folding her arms.

They all nodded. There must be a good reason for her being so quiet if she was normally talkative, and they wanted to know.

"Fine." She said. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Then she opened them again and said, "I was your sister's best friend." She said.

"What do you mean, 'was'? Have you and Toni had a fall out?" Thomas asked.

"Not that sister." Melanie replied.

Each of the three brother's mouths dropped open. They'd managed to overcome their youngest sister's passing, but now it was being brought back up, Trent flared.

"You little bitch! Don't you know how stupid a thing that was to say?" he said, lunging forward, but Melanie dodged it.

"You wanted to know why I was so quiet! Now you can understand why it was awkward to talk to my dead best friend's brothers!" She yelled, and ran off.

Natalie told Rudy to calm them down and that she'd see them around, then took her shoes off quickly and she ran off after Melanie. She took her shoes off so it was easier to run, as her cream sandals weren't exactly the smallest of heels. She was shouting to Melanie to slow down; she doesn't know where she's going. Natalie was very surprised at how fast Melanie was running.

Melanie ran right past Natalie's house, even though she didn't know it. Natalie quickly ran to her house and opened the front door, before calling three names: Star, Portia and Skye.

Then Natalie ran back down the road after Melanie, followed by three dogs: a black Labrador, a Rottweiler and a greyhound. They all ran by Natalie's side, and Melanie looked back when she heard barking. She saw Natalie running with three dogs at her side, and no shoes on. It must have hurt, as the pavement wasn't exactly smooth. Then, Melanie realised how much Natalie must want her to stop, and she slowed down, just as Natalie's dogs ran up to her side.

"Finally!" Panted Natalie, catching up to her. "I thought you were never going to stop!" She sat down on the kerb, breathing heavily. Then, when she'd got her breath back, she put her shoes back on and stood up.

"Sorry. I guess meeting Kelly's brothers was a bit too uncomfortable for me. I only met her sister after I found out she was gone." Melanie said, putting on a brave face and holding back the tears.

"I'm lost." Natalie said.

So, walking back to Natalie's house with Star, Portia and Skye, Melanie explained to Natalie about Kelly and Madame Luton's, and the whole ordeal she'd been through since she left.

When they reached Natalie's house, Melanie was introduced to Natalie's parents, and then they went into Natalie's bedroom, which was home to not just Natalie.

"Whoa! How many pets do you have?" Melanie asked in awe, looking around the room.

There were 5 small cages dotted around, but they each had 2 different levels in them, a hutch that was placed by the window on the floor, and inside were two smallish igloos and one bigger igloo, one big bird cage, with different swinging toys, mirrors and treats, and a huge tank that was sitting on top of Natalie's desk.

"Thirty." Replied Natalie, as though Melanie had just asked her to add two and two. Melanie's mouth dropped open. Thirty animals living under one roof? That was madness!

"How the hell do you get thirty animals in here?" Melanie asked, looking around.

"Well, I'll give you the tour. First stop, the tropical fish tank. In here are 14 tropical fish, and they do have names, I just forget them. I haven't had these long, only a couple of months. Next, these five cages. In here are Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie." Natalie said, pointing at each of the different cages. "They're Russian hamsters, and I've had them for just over a year. This birdcage. Four canaries. Danny, Harry, Tom and Dougie, and I've had them for about two years." She pointed at each of the yellow birds as she named them, but to Melanie they all looked the same.

"How can you tell the difference?" Melanie asked.

"Just trust me, I can." Natalie laughed. "Next stop on the tour is this, the biggest house in the bedroom, and home to the largest member in this room, the hutch. It homes three, two guinea pigs, that one is Buffy, and that one's Willow." Said Natalie, pointing at a ginger guinea pig first, and then a black one. "It's also home to Lightning, my rabbit." Natalie actually opened the hutch, and out jumped a white rabbit. It was pure white, except from a small black dash between its eyes. She hopped around the room for a bit, until Natalie picked her up and put her back.

"Well, that's only . . ." started Melanie, doing a quick calculation in her head. "Twenty six. What about the other four?"

"They don't come up here that often, as there isn't really enough room for them. So, we'll go down to them." Natalie said.

She grabbed Melanie's wrist and dragged her down the stairs, and into the living room. Lying on the windowsill was a black and white cat, sleeping peacefully, yet purring.

"This is Ash. He's so lazy. The only time we see him is when it's time to eat!" Laughed Natalie. "And you've only half met the last three members. Come on, we gotta go into the garden now."

And Natalie led the way into the back garden. It was very neat, and very big. It was really long, and Melanie could've sworn it was about 150 metres easy. She'd learnt to estimate lengths due to her practising her running. Then, bounding towards Melanie were three big bundles of fur.

Natalie laughed as they all pounced on her and knocked her to the floor. They all started licking Melanie's face, and Melanie was half laughing, half crying out in disgust.

"Here!" Said Natalie sternly, and all three dogs jumped off Melanie and walked obediently to Natalie.

Melanie sat up, wiping her face. "Let me guess. The last three members."

"Yup!" Grinned Natalie. "This is Star, she's the middley dog, at just over two years old." And she pointed at the red collared black Labrador. "Next is Skye, the youngest. She's eighteen months." The yellow collared greyhound panted happily, and sat down on the floor. "Then last but not least, Portia. We've had her for nearly six years, and she wasn't a puppy then. We think she's about seven or eight." The chubby Rottweiler wagged its little stump of a tail at hearing her name, and there was a light blue collar was around her neck.

"Aww! They're all so cute!" Melanie said, walking over to them all stroking them all.

"Now, the facts. Portia's the laziest, Skye's the fastest, and Star's the greediest." Said Natalie.

"My parents would've never let me have one pet, let alone thirty. You're so lucky." Melanie said.

"I'm not lucky, just really grateful. Without my mom and dad, I wouldn't have any of this." Natalie replied, and waved her hand around in a circle.

"Well, I think you're amazingly lucky. I just got sent off to a boarding school." Melanie said, shrugging.

"It can't have been that bad. I bet you had loads of sleepovers in your dormitories and stuff." Natalie said.

"We managed to have one, but we got busted and we were deprived of any fun activities for nearly 2 months, so we didn't bother trying again. Trust me, it's not like any of the boarding schools you read about in books." Melanie said.

Natalie said that Melanie could stay as long as she wanted, and then they went back inside, as it was getting very dark and very cold.

"Aw, man. Where could she be?" Amber said, pacing through her bedroom.

Cassidy was sitting on the end of Amber's bed, watching as Amber walked back and forth through her room. She had returned to Amber's house with her, as she wanted to be there for both of her friends: Melanie, when she did return; and Amber, to comfort her.

"I'm sure she's OK. Don't worry Amber," Cassidy said, her voice as soft as possible, to try and soothe Amber.

"How can I not worry? She dived off the bridge, and then swam off. Who knows what could've happened?" Amber said.

"You've got to stop thinking of the worst case scenario. She knows how to fend for herself."

"We don't know that. For all we know, she could've been kidnapped, and none of us know. Cass, I'm really concerned." Amber said. "And it's all my fault. I pressed her and she ran off. If only we believed her, I wouldn't be going through this at the moment." Amber looked close to tears.

Cassidy wanted to comfort her friend, but each time she tried, Amber would just turn what Cassidy had just said upside-down so it would be the worst case.

The phone rang, and Amber leapt to get it. Her hands were shaking that much she could barely hold the phone to her ear.

Amber: Hello?

?: Amber, it's me, Toni.

Amber: Oh. I thought it would've been Mel . . .

Toni: Yeah, but I know where she is!

Amber: Where is she?!

Toni: Well, my brothers just came home . . .

Amber: Wait. Your brothers?

Toni: Yeah. I guess I forgot to tell you. I've got three brothers.

Amber: What?!

Toni: Yeah, well anyway . . .

Amber: You can't just say 'Well anyway,'! You've got three brothers and you didn't bother to tell us!

Toni: Since you're going to have a go at me as well as everyone else because I'm guessing that no one else knows that I've got brothers so when I tell them they'll all have a spaz, I'll tell you all tomorrow before school, OK? That way, you can all have a major spaz at once, rather than loads of mini spazzes.

Amber: No! You can't just tell me you know where she is then not tell me! Do you know how upset I've been?

Toni: Well, no I . . .

Amber: Exactly. Cass was that worried about me being worried that she came here with me to try and calm me down but it didn't work because when the phone rang I could barely hold the phone without dropping it and . . .

Toni: Amber! Listen, I promise you, Melanie's safe. She's with a very good friend, and she's fine. I'll give you the rest of the details tomorrow, OK?

Amber: No. Tone, come on . . . I need to know where she is . . .

Toni: No Amber. Bye.

Amber: No, don't . . .

But Toni had already hung up. Amber was left holding the phone in her hand, just staring at it.

"What happened?" Cassidy asked. She hadn't really heard any of the conversation, as Toni was quiet on her end of the phone, and Amber was talking that quickly, it was nearly impossible to understand what she was saying.

Amber just slammed the phone back onto the receiver and cursed under her breath.

"She won't tell me where she is!" Amber yelled, and her bedroom door opened.

"Who won't tell you where who is?" someone said.

"Bog off, Mol. And get out of my room." Said Amber, rolling her eyes as she recognised her sister's voice.

"I'm not in your room." Molly said, inspecting her long, black nails.

Amber growled, and then leapt at Molly, who took a step back, and Amber slammed the door shut. Then she pushed her heavy beanbag chair in front of the door, as she didn't have a lock on her door.

"Amber, if Toni said Mel's OK, then you have got to believe her. You can't take out your anger on your sister." Cassidy said.

"Who said I was taking my anger out on my sister? I'm not angry. I'm always like that to her." Amber said. She flopped back onto the bed next to Cassidy. "The least Toni could've done was tell me the name of who Mel's staying with."

"Listen, I bet that tomorrow, Toni will tell us all where Mel's been, or maybe Mel will be there and tell us anyway. But if she is, I don't think that it would be wise to bring up the incident yesterday. If we just forget about it if Mel doesn't say anything, then that'll probably be best." Cassidy said.

Amber shrugged, and stared up at the mobile hanging from the ceiling.


	27. Chapter 27

The next day, Cassidy was up early and waiting outside Amber's house. She wanted to know if Melanie had returned later, after she had left. She had knocked the door, but there was no answer.

'Surely Amber can't have gone already?' Wondered Cassidy, checking her watch. It wasn't even 8.00 yet, and the Bladebreakers and VIPs met up outside school at 8.30, so there wouldn't have been much point for Amber to set out this early, as it only took about ten minutes to reach the school from Amber's house.

Cassidy tried knocking the door again, but when there was still no answer, she decided to make her way around to Toni's. As she was heading towards her house, she couldn't stop thinking where Amber might be. Unless she'd set out early to try and get an answer from Toni. There was only one way to find out.

When Cassidy reached Toni's house, she knocked on the door, and it was nearly two minutes before anyone answered the door, but it wasn't Toni.

"Yeah?" said a boy with spiky icy blue hair and grey-blue eyes.

"Erm, hi. Is Toni there, please?" Cassidy asked.

"Who's asking?" He asked.

"Me. Why, is that a problem?" Cassidy asked. Most people would think she could get intimidated easily, so she'd sometimes be awkward just to prove them wrong.

"Might be." The lad said. He lent against the doorframe, and put a stick of gum in his mouth. "So, have you got a name?"

"Listen, is Toni there or not?" Cassidy asked. She hated standing in one spot for too long when she didn't need to; it was pretty uncomfortable. She moved her arms a bit, and then the boy realised how distressing it must be to have to use crutches.

"Come on in, and I'll check. Who shall I say's looking for her?" He asked, as he led her into the living room. "Take a seat," He said.

"Cassidy, please." And she sat down onto the sofa.

"No problem," Said the icy blue haired boy, before disappearing up the stairs.

Cassidy was left wondering who he was. She didn't know that Toni had brothers, and just thought that he must be a friend of the family visiting or a cousin or a long distant relative.

A minute later, he reappeared in the living room where Cassidy was sitting.

"Nah, sorry. Tone must have already left or something. She's not here." He said, shrugging.

"Oh." Said Cassidy feeling a bit confused.

Trying to figure out where Toni could be, she forgot she was sitting on the LaVelle's sofa and should be on her way to school. Toni and Amber had disappeared, so Cassidy's best luck was to try someone else's.

"Was there anything else you needed?" Asked the boy.

"Oh, no, thanks . . . Sorry, I don't know your name." Cassidy said. She might have got off on the wrong foot with him, but she figured he was an alright guy.

"Trent," He said, chewing his gum.

"Trent. Thanks anyway," She said, before getting up again. She hopped over to the door, and Trent saw her out.

"You sure you're gonna be OK by yourself?" He checked.

"Well I got here OK, didn't I?" Snapped Cassidy, but then relented, as she realised he was only being nice. "Sorry. Yeah, I'll be fine, thanks."

As she walked down the path, Cassidy figured her next best bet would be either Ray, Danny or Kenny. Since Ray's house was the closest out of the three, she decided there would be her best shot.

But when there was no answer at Ray's house either, Cassidy just gave up and went to wait at the school for them all to arrive.

It was only 8.10 when Cassidy arrived at the front gates of the school. As she expected, nobody else was there, just a couple of Yr. 8 kids that were acting cool by the steps.

Cassidy pushed herself up onto the wall, and leant her crutches against it. She was trying to concentrate her thoughts to where the others might have gone, but for some reason, she couldn't, and kept getting distracted by the smallest sound or movement.

She sighed, put her fingers in her ears and closed her eyes tight, but she could still hear everything going on around her. But in the very background she could hear a faint buzzing sound, and even though it was very weak, it was very distinct.

Cassidy opened her eyes and looked around. She couldn't see any bees or wasps or anything that would make that kind of buzz, and there was no technical equipment anywhere.

She tried listening for the buzzing sound again, but this time, leaving her eyes open. She could hear it still, and it sounded like a wasp flying around her head, but not as loud.

Because she was concentrating so hard on listening for the buzzing, Cassidy was startled when a kid behind her screamed, so she jolted around to see, making her knock her crutches down onto the ground with her arm. Cassidy groaned, and then sighed again when she found out that the scream was because the kid was getting shot by her friend with a water pistol.

Cassidy looked helplessly at her crutches. If she tried to get down, she wouldn't have much of a chance of actually staying on her feet; she'd probably fall to the floor with her crutches. 'It looks like they'll have to stay there for the time being, and hopefully the Bladebreakers and the VIPs will make an appearance and give me a hand.' Cassidy thought, but she got much more of a shock than someone screaming.

One of her crutches started to stand up by itself, and then leant itself against the wall, followed by the other one. Cassidy looked at them, terrified. Her crutches just moved by themselves. Cassidy looked around, to see if anyone else had noticed, but there was only one kid looking.

One of the Yr. 8's that was sitting on the steps was staring straight at Cassidy, unblinking. She had white eyes. Scary white eyes. Her black hair was lying straight as it could be, down her back, and ended at her waist. She was wearing a very dark purple velour v-neck shirt, straight black trousers with white symbols around the ankle of each leg, and black shoes. The symbols that were on her trousers were also on a necklace, a ring, and a bracelet, and then Cassidy noticed them dangling around her foot on an ankle chain. All of the jewellery was silver, and sparkled like it was catching the sun, even though it was quite dull that day.

The symbol was unlike anything Cassidy had seen before. If someone asked her to describe it to them, she wouldn't have a chance. But she saved the symbol in her mind, and she could still see it so clearly; she was sure she'd seen it somewhere before, even though it was so unique.

The girl was still staring. She could see Cassidy had been looking at the symbol that was repeated all over her accessories, and wondering what it was. Moving her sight from Cassidy onto the floor in front of her, she stared at it intently.

Cassidy watched the girl fix her sight onto the ground in front of her, and small pebbles on the ground started shaking, and moving closer together. It was like there was an earthquake moving them, but the ground was perfectly still. It was just the stones moving. Then they came to rest. Cassidy sighed, but then realised; they were in the same shape as the emblem on that Yr. 8 girl.

Cassidy gasped, her mouth dropped open, and looked at the girl again, who had turned her focus back onto her. 'Is she really doing this?' Cassidy thought.

But her thoughts were broken by someone calling her name. Cassidy turned and looked the way that it had came from, only to see the Bladebreakers, Danny, Toni and Amber running towards her. As they got closer, they saw her turn her attention back towards the ground.

"Hey, Cass!" Shouted Toni, ahead of the rest of them. She looked at the floor and saw the pebbles in a strange shape. "Why have you made a pattern with the stones?"

"I didn't." Cassidy said, her hands shaking a bit.

The others came rushing over and asked the same question that Toni did. Cassidy completely forgot about her having to come to school by herself, as she was trying to figure out what had just happened.

"It wasn't me." Cassidy repeated.

"Well, what is it there for?" Asked Amber.

"I'm not sure," Cassidy replied, and went to look over at the girl again, but she'd gone.

"Well, what is it?" Ray asked.

Cassidy wanted to say 'I don't know', but something else came out of her mouth instead.

"The Fiftranquess." She slapped her hand over her mouth as if she didn't mean to say it, as though it was meant to be a secret. She started shaking her head in disbelief. There was something definitely wrong, and Cassidy knew exactly who was behind it. The white eyed girl.

"The what?" Tyson asked, not sure if he'd heard properly.

"I don't know!" Cassidy said, before bursting into tears.

The whole gang crowded around her, comforting her. They tried handing Cassidy her crutches, telling her to go with them into the building into one of the classrooms, but Cassidy just slapped them away, crying that they were possessed.

"Come on, Cass. That's a bit O.T.T." Danny said.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Cassidy said. "I'm telling you, I knocked them over, and then the next minute, they stood up again!"

"Cass, calm down first. Then tell us what happened. At the moment, you're in hysterics so it's clear as to why Danny doesn't believe you." Kai said.

Cassidy took some deep breaths, and with her one hand she wiped her tears away. It did take her a minute or two to calm down fully, and until she had, Kai wouldn't listen to what she had to say.

"Good. Now that you're settled, tell us what happened, from the beginning." Kai instructed.

"Well, I left the house early, to meet up with Amber, but there was no one there, so then I tried yours," Cassidy said, looking at Toni, "And someone with icy blue hair answered. I went in while he checked if you were there, but you weren't, so I tried Ray's. When no one was there either, I just gave up and came to school. I sat on the wall, and leant my crutches up here," she said, indicating to the wall. "I was trying to think where you all were, but I kept getting distracted, so I concentrated really hard, and I could hear this buzzing. But then, someone behind me screamed . . ."

"Someone screamed?" Max said.

"Yeah, but it was just some kid cos she was getting shot with a water pistol. Anyway, as she screamed I flew around and knocked my crutches to the floor. I had to leave them there because I couldn't get down without them. Then, one of them stood up, and leant back against the wall, and then the other one did, too! I looked round, and saw this girl, but she had white eyes, and she was just staring at me. And that thing there," She said, pointing at the crest on the floor. "Was a mark that she had all over her. It was on her trousers, necklace, ring, bracelet and ankle chain! She saw me looking at her, and then stared at the floor where it is now. The stones started jumping, as though there was an earthquake coming, and ended up in that shape!"

"Yeah, that was Leah Prescott," said a voice from the front gate.

They all looked around, and saw the same girl that had let Melanie stay with her.

"Natalie." Toni grinned. She walked over to her and gave her a high five.

"I couldn't help overhearing, so, sorry if it was private or confidential. It's just, there've been a couple of rumours spreading about Leah Prescott, the infamous girl with white eyes." Natalie said.

"No problem," Toni replied. "Off that subject for a minute, I haven't seen you for ages."

"Yeah, and not my fault. Where've you been? You haven't been hanging out with your brothers much recently." Natalie said, her lip-ring bobbing up and down with her bottom lip.

"Like I'd want to. The only reason I did before was cos I wasn't allowed to stay in by myself, and mom said that they had to look after me, so I had to do as they said. Let's hope I don't have to go through that again." Toni said.

"Brothers?" said Kenny, but he wasn't the only one thinking it.

"Yeah." Toni sighed. "This is what I wanted to tell you last night Amber, but I want to get it all done with in one go, so here it goes." Toni walked back towards the others, with Natalie at her side.

"You mean you never told anyone you had three brothers?" Natalie said, laughing. "I can't believe it."

"Believe it. As Nat just said, I've got three brothers: Tyler, Thomas and Trent. They're all older than me, and when I was little they used to gang up and pick on me. Well, they still do. I guess I never told you guys cos I thought you'd laugh at me for not standing up to them or something like that." Toni shrugged. "Cass, you said you met someone with icy blue hair. That was Trent. He's not exactly the most . . . well, let's just say he doesn't always get on with everyone. Tyler's the leader, so it was always Ty that told them what to do. Tom is the oldest, but he's the quietest. He's also the boffin of the family, especially now Kelly's gone." And Toni just stopped there.

"O . . . K . . . I think I can say that none of us expected that." Ray said.

"Yeah, but that's over now. We all know I've got three brothers now, so let's get back to the freak out at hand, OK?" Toni said.

"Hey, hey! Proper intros first, please," Natalie said, holding her hands up.

"OK." Toni sighed. "Guys, this is Natalie Woods. She lives around the corner from my house, so we used to play out together. Well, she and my brothers did. Nat, these are my mates, Tyson Granger, Max Tate, Ray Kon, Kai Hiwatari, Kenny Havigama, Danny Jones, Amber Trinselle and Cassidy Castana."

"Nice to meet you," Kenny said.

"Likewise," Natalie said.

"Now we all know each other and we're one big happy family, can we get onto these rumours?" Toni said, getting impatient.

"Right. Leah Prescott. The facts about her: she's 13, lives with her grandmother, doesn't show any emotions . . . oh, and yeah, she's part witch." Natalie said. She stopped there deliberately to see everyone's reactions, which were picture perfect.

"Witch? As in, tall black hat, warty nose, and broomstick that she flies around on at night?" Danny said, his mouth hanging open, but so were everybody else's.

"Not that sort of witch. More of witch that is completely normal apart from her powers. Like on Charmed, or Willow in Buffy. When she's good anyway." Natalie said. She searched in her pockets for a piece of gum, and then she popped it in her mouth.

"Should you be eating gum when you've got a lip ring in?" Kai asked, as though he was pointing out something blatantly obvious to a five year old.

"Hey, I don't tell you how to live your life." She said, chewing. "Back on subject. Now, the rumours. Either, Leah is evil, Leah only uses her powers to show off, Leah only uses her powers in secret because she doesn't want to get shipped off and dissected but keeps getting caught, or Leah only uses her powers to help people she likes."

"Well, how do you know what's rumour and what's fact?" Asked Amber.

"I help make rumours up." Said Natalie, as though she'd just said she helps make cakes or something.

"You . . . help . . . why?" Ray questioned.

"Well, why not? It gives us something to talk about, and makes the place interesting. If I don't, who will?" She replied, still chewing.

"OK, so we know who to come to if something stupid about us is spreading around school." Cassidy said.

"Nah, I like you guys, why would I spread rumours about you?" She laughed. "Come on, let me show you something."

She led the others around from by the front gates, to the fields where the Bladebreaker Tree was. Walking a bit further past it, towards the end of the field, they could see Leah standing by the fence that went all around school campus. She was staring out into the middle of the fields when they first saw her, but as they took just two more steps forward, they saw her flick her head around to stare at all of them, her white eyes glaring.

"She's got some weird powers. So far, I know she's got super hearing, sight and smell, telekinetic, and I think she can use telepathy, but I'm not sure." Natalie whispered.

"I bet she can, and put some words into people's minds, like when I knew the name of the Fiftranquess." Cassidy said.

"Keep your voices down. I don't want her using her powers on me, thank you very much." Natalie said, putting her finger to her lips. "She's watching. If we act like we're just here chatting, but someone watch over my shoulder slyly, then she might not be suspicious."

"Good plan," said Max.

So all ten of them started mumbling random things, so Leah would be able to hear, if she could hear them, that they were saying something.

After a minute, Leah turned her attention away from them. She faced some kids who were running around shooting each other with water pistols. They were only the tiny one-handed water pistols, but they had become like some sort of new craze, and everybody had to have one. Except the Bladebreakers and VIPs didn't believe in fads. They were too busy with Beyblading and helping each other with techniques.

Leah stuck her right hand out in front of herself, and staring at the water pistols, she then lifted her arm into the air. All of the water pistols flew up into the sky, and with a flick of her hand, all of the water pistols turned around and shot the owner in the face.

"Doesn't look like she's evil to me. If she is, it's very low-key." Danny said, as he'd been peering over Natalie's shoulder at Leah. "But still, she's one freaky little kid!" He added, but forgetting to keep his voice down, and Leah shot a glance at him.

She lowered her arm, causing all the water pistols to drop to the floor. She started to walk towards them all.

"Oh shit. She's coming over," Danny said, and only this time did he remember to keep his voice down, even though it was pointless.

"Just act normal. If you start freaking out around her, she might end up doing something you won't like." Natalie advised.

"Like what?" Toni asked, worried.

"I'm not sure. There have been stories, that's all. And before you ask, no, I didn't make them up." Natalie said.

By this time, Leah was only a few steps away, and was getting closer. She wasn't walking fast, but she'd certainly reached them in an amazing amount of time considering the speed she'd been walking.

Leah just came up to them, and inched her way in to stand next to Danny. She didn't look at any of them properly, but the first person she looked at wasn't Danny, it was Cassidy. At first, Leah just stared, and then she giggled. And to everyone's surprise, she had quite a soft voice.

"You won't need those crutches soon," She said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Cassidy said, not sure if she'd heard right.

"You won't need those crutches soon," Leah repeated.

"I think you might be mistaken, Leah. I need my crutches to walk." Cassidy said.

"You'll see." Leah said, before turning to Danny. "You were talking about me."

Danny looked and felt awkward. How was he supposed to respond to that? If he admitted it, he could be in trouble, but if he denied it, he could be in trouble. He had a risk to take either way.

"Not meaning to offend you, but yeah, I was. If you think about it from our point of view, then it is kinda weird having a little girl making stuff float in the air, and then hear us from well over forty feet away." Danny said.

"I understand. But why are you spying on me?" Leah asked. She didn't look at all offended by what Danny had just said.

"Well, to talk to you about that symbol of yours. If that's OK with you," Cassidy said.

"It makes no difference of to whom I tell about the Fiftranquess." Leah replied.

"Uh huh." Amber said. "But there's another thing. We're not all that smart, so you'll have to just say what you mean out straight."

"I understand. What would you like to know about it?" Leah replied, yet asking another question straight away.

"Guys, is it OK if I talk to Leah alone for a minute?" Cassidy asked.

"Yeah, no problem." The others replied, and then walked away. "I'll see you in registration!" Called Kai, and they all walked to their form rooms.

Cassidy waved them goodbye, before turning around to talk to Leah. She had to find out about Leah's past and the Fiftranquess. She knew she'd seen that mark before somewhere, but where, that was the mystery. If she found out what it meant or the history of it, she might be able to place where she'd seen it.

"So, Leah. Erm . . . what is the Fiftranquess exactly?" Cassidy started.

"It is the mark of my heritage." Leah replied.

"Does it have any particular meaning to it?" Cassidy asked.

"Not that I'm aware of. But I'm still learning, so it's difficult to tell." Leah answered.

"So, next item." Cassidy said. She was already tired of the way that Leah was talking, and it hadn't even been two minutes. "What's with the powers?"

"My grandmother, who I am currently residing with, is a witch. Her powers are running out, as her time on this earth is nearly up, so she is teaching me as much as she can. My mother: couldn't handle the knowledge and responsibility that came with the gift, and she's now in rehabilitation after a near death experience caused by an overdose of heroin. My father: passed away in a horrific car accident when I was five years of age. My grandfather: managed to live up to the fact of what my grandmother was, but when he was sent away to collect information for his profession, he never returned. My uncle: in the local prison due to possession and use of an illegal firearm, which resulted in murder. My grandmother is the only family I have, so when she is gone, hopefully, I will be old enough and know enough to be able to look after myself." Leah said.

Cassidy listened in horror. How could a girl of such a young age go through so much in so little time? Thirteen years didn't seem like a short time, but after listening to Leah's life story, it seemed an enormous amount to experience in that small period.

"How can you cope with this much? My life hasn't been easy, and I've only just about managed to forget about some of it, and that's thanks to my friends." Cassidy said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Your life on the other hand, has been tons worse than mine, and you seem to have gotten over it all already, and no offence intended, but you don't seem to have friends to hang around with."

"True I have no friends, but to say I have gotten over the events in my life, is a falsehood. You see that I am not sad? Well neither am I happy. I have learnt to control my emotions, even through tough times. Loss is no longer a threat to me. Some people have loss as a weakness, but with my powers, weaknesses are not allowed. It is too big a risk." Leah explained. "I cannot be happy. I try, but it is so fake, I feel as though I am living a lie. I am not depressed, as I believe in fate, and that everything happens for a reason. Bad things happen to make you a stronger person and learn from your mistakes. Good things happen to help you live your life to the full."

Cassidy smiled slightly. Considering how young Leah was, she came up with some pretty good advice, and, as a bonus, she was starting to understand how speaking in a formal manner helps to make things clearer.

"Leah . . . thank you." Cassidy said. "You don't know how much you've just helped me."

"Don't I?" Leah said, in her mysterious manner.

"OK, so maybe you do. But still, thanks a lot." Cassidy said. "Is it OK if my friends come and talk to you later? I think they still want some of their questions answered."

"I have no problem with that." Leah said. "You'll know when and where to meet me. The walls have ears." And she took a quick look around her.

Cassidy looked around too. True enough, there were people around, but none of them seemed to be paying attention to them. But if Leah thought that they were, she couldn't disagree with her.

"Erm, OK then. I'll see you . . . when I see you I guess." Cassidy said, before walking off.

Leah didn't move. She kept staring as Cassidy walked off, and until Cassidy had turned around a corner, Leah couldn't help but let a smile flick over her lips.

Nothing really happened for the rest of the day, except that Cassidy somehow got the feeling that she was supposed to meet Leah around the back of the teacher's lounge at break with the Bladebreakers and the other VIPs, and sure enough, when they went to check it out, Leah was there. They got their questions answered, but it didn't stop any of them, except Cassidy, from being a bit scared and very cautious around her.


	28. Chapter 28

The next day, during P.E, Cassidy had a pad out, a regular A4 size, and was sketching. At first she tried drawing the view out of the gym window, the view that led out towards the fields, but she couldn't concentrate properly. So she changed her plan and started sketching Toni and Tyson rallying with a tennis ball.

"Tennis is way better than Netball!" Tyson shouted to Toni from one side of the net.

"You're only saying that cos normally just girls play it!" Toni shouted back.

Because they were always moving, Cassidy couldn't get a grip on them straight away either, but decided to stick to it to see how good her skills actually were when it came to real life. She sketched the net first, and placed in the tennis ball. Next up were the tennis rackets, one on either side of the net and both of them floating in mid-air. As Toni and Tyson kept moving, she decided to quickly sketch out the body shape first, and then add more detail. She drew Tyson first, as she found she had less trouble drawing girls, and if she chose to throw the picture away, she hadn't gone through trouble of drawing someone that was wasted.

"Hey, Cass. Did you get your answers from Leah?" Kai said, coming over and sitting next to her.

"Most of them. Leah said that it's OK for us to meet up with her again later," Cassidy replied, but not looking up at him. Her eyes kept darting from Tyson to the page, where she added more lines.

"Heads up!" Cried a voice.

Cassidy and Kai looked up, and a tennis ball was heading straight for them. Cassidy's hands flew up on instinct to protect her face, and her pad fell to the floor, as her hands were the only thing holding it on her lap. There hadn't been much point in lifting her hands though, as Kai had already reacted, grabbed a tennis racket and deflected the ball by holding it up in front of Cassidy's face.

"Thanks . . ." Cassidy said. "I guess." She added, seeing at how close the racket was to her face.

"Watch where you're aiming next time, kid." Kai growled, as a girl ran past.

"I'm not a kid," said the girl, stopping and turning around, to see who was talking to her like that. It wasn't like she'd aimed at her, and it wasn't even her fault. Her partner hit the tennis ball as hard as he could, so she had to just deflect it somewhere else.

The girl gasped as she saw Kai, sitting there. He had the same expression he always had, but his eyes weren't as cold. Someone had broken through to him.

"Kai?" The girl said, her voice breaking a bit.

"Not another crazy fan." Said Kai, rolling his eyes. He bent down and picked up Cassidy's pad for her, trying to block the girl out.

"You don't recognise me?" She said, meekly.

"What? Like I'm supposed to remember what everyone looks like? Do you know how many people I've seen at signings? As if. Trust me, I've seen plenty of people that look . . . nothing like you." Kai had actually meant to say 'just like you', but as he looked at the girl properly, he knew he'd seen her. And knew her.

She had black hair tied into two plaits that reached just above her shoulders, and brown eyes. She had black skin, and had a crystal moon pendant around her neck. Not many people actually obeyed the 'No Jewellery' rule.

"Chameleon?" Kai said, not sure if he'd got the right person.

"You do remember me!" Cried the girl, her arms flying around his neck.

Kai looked a bit awkward. He looked quite shocked, and just patted her on the back, still a bit uncomfortable and embarrassed. It wasn't everyday that he had someone hug him. Thinking about it, the last hug he had was from . . . Kelly. On the first day he met her. And she'd hugged him and thanked him for being rude to her. Not something he heard everyday.

"Am I missing something here?" Cassidy asked. One minute Kai was saving her nose from needing plastic surgery, and the next, he had some girl around his neck, stuck like a leech.

"Yeah. Let me fill you in." Kai said, prying the girl off his neck. "Cass, this is Carmen Peart, my cousin. Chameleon, this is Cassidy Castana, a friend of mine and the other Bladebreakers."

"Oh I get it. School seems to be the place for family reunions, huh?" Cassidy joked.

"Sorry for nearly smashing your face in with a tennis ball," Carmen said, and held her hand out, and Cassidy shook it.

"No problem," Cassidy replied, smiling.

"Chameleon! Come on! We haven't got all day!" said a boy. The way he had spoke to her said one thing, but when they all looked over at him, he was smiling, so he must have been teasing.

"Shut up and wait, Corey! Actually, no, come over here!" Carmen said, beckoning him with her hand.

The boy walked over to them, still smiling. He had spiky silver hair that had been gelled back, and sparkling emerald green eyes. He hadn't got changed into a P.E kit, as his clothes could count as kit. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with blue markings, navy trousers and black and blue trainers. Around his head was a black sweatband. He was obviously pleased that Carmen had found some friends. Well, what he thought were her friends.

"Hey Chameleon, found some new friends?" Corey asked as he reached them.

"Well, yeah and no." Carmen replied. Cassidy gathered that Chameleon was her nickname, and more or less everybody called her that. "Corey, this is Cass and Kai, and this is Corey Mist." Carmen introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Corey said.

"Yeah, same here." Cassidy said. He was pretty cute.

"So, what form are you in?" Corey asked, ignoring Kai and looking straight at Cassidy.

"We're both in 11O. But Kai's only just joined." Cassidy replied. "What about you?"

"11E." said Carmen, jumping up and down.

She still couldn't believe that she'd found Kai after all these years. He was always moving about so she couldn't write to him or get in contact with him at all. When Kai had been living with their grandfather, before he joined up with the Bladebreakers, Carmen's parents wouldn't let her visit because they knew of Voltaire's temperament and his evil plot. But now, he was free from his clutches and could do whatever he wanted.

"11E? Isn't that the class that Kelly was in?" Kai asked Cassidy, but before she could answer, Carmen jumped in.

"Kelly LaVelle? Yeah, she was in our form wasn't she, Corey? I can't believe what happened to her though." Carmen replied. She was still bouncing. It was like she was on a sugar high.

Meanwhile, Cassidy was still looking shyly at Corey. He was smiling back. Cassidy carried on with her drawing, and Corey looked over her shoulder to see what it was she was drawing.

"Hey, that's pretty good," Corey complimented, as she finished drawing Tyson and started on Toni.

"Thanks. I've had a lot of practice though." Cassidy said. "Not at moving stuff, but I mean drawing in general."

"You're very talented." Corey said. "Do you blade?"

"Erm . . . kinda." Cassidy asked, but not looking at him, her eyes back to flicking from the real thing to her drawing.

"Kinda? You either do or you don't." Corey said, but not in a mean way. He was still smiling.

"Well, OK, I do, but I've only just started. So I'm not very good." Cassidy said. "Plus there's a little problem I've got, which holds me back. Actually, make that two problems." She added, remembering about the bond between hers and Danny's bit beasts.

"What kind of problems?" Corey asked.

"Are you just being nosey, or are you seriously interested?" Cassidy said, and she stopped drawing. She kept hold of her pencil but put it flat down on the page, and looked up at Corey.

"I'm seriously interested. Maybe I can help you with something." He offered.

"Cute." Cassidy laughed. "Thanks, but I don't think you can help."

"Wanna bet? I can help people for some strange things, and they normally say 'You can't help me,' but I do." Corey laughed. "See if I can handle it."

"Well, problem one: you seriously can't help. I've got no feeling in my leg," Cassidy said, patting her right leg. "So unless you've got some miracle cure that you haven't told anyone about, you can't help me there. And problem two . . . well that's a bit confidential. Between close friends."

"So I'm not your friend?" Corey asked, pretending to look hurt.

"I said **_close _**friends. I've only known you for two minutes!" Cassidy laughed. "Maybe another day," she said, and carried on drawing.

Corey sat down next to her and took out a piece of scrap paper that had been in his pocket. He grabbed a pen that was lying on the side and scribbled a number down, and handed it to Cassidy.

"Give me a ring if you wanna talk some more," He said, beaming.

Cassidy didn't know what to say. He hadn't exactly said anything else to her, but this was the first time a boy had give her his mobile number. Was he hitting on her? Before she could say anything else, Corey was up and away, dragging Carmen with him.

"Meet me at the back of the teacher's lounge at break!" Carmen said as she got pulled away.

Kai nodded. To be truthful, he was really happy to see his cousin. She was always so insecure; he knew that even though they had only spent little time together when they were young. Because she had black skin, she was scared that all the people around her were judging her, and she stuck close by her friends. She was too scared to make new friends, but got on well with the people who had already befriended her.

Kai was pleased and glad that Carmen was hanging around with someone like Corey. He seemed a nice enough guy, and he could usually tell if someone was just using people. Corey didn't seem the type of guy to use someone, so Kai was OK with him. Now if Carmen had been hanging around with someone even remotely bad or had any tiny signs of being misleading, Kai would've told Carmen straight away to stay away from them.

Meanwhile, Cassidy was still staring at the mobile number. Was it a hint that he wanted to go out with her? Or was he just being friendly and wanted to help her with her problem? Either way, Cassidy was pleased yet shocked.

"So, Cass, get on well with Corey?" Kai grinned. He'd seen Corey give her some paper with a number on it, and decided to tease her a little.

Cassidy grinned back, and hit him with her sketchbook.

"Kai, if that's not a hint to go away, I don't know what is!" Joked Ray. "Come on, man, I've been waiting for years for you!"

So Kai got up and carried on playing tennis with Ray. They rallied over the fence for a while, not dropping it once. They were both good tennis players, and Ms. Kirby wanted them to take part in the Inter-School Championships. They'd said they'd think about it, as they didn't particularly want to, but it would be a nice change.

When the teacher dismissed them to go and get changed, Cassidy stayed at the side until everyone had disappeared into the changing rooms, and then went and sat in the girls changing rooms, talking to Toni.

"So, Kai's found his long-lost cousin, huh? Guess school is a place for family reunions, but you wouldn't expect it to be." Toni agreed with what Cassidy had said earlier.

"Yeah, I know. School is where you'd least expect anything exciting or different to happen, but that isn't the case." Cassidy said. "I mean, think about it. Things that have been happening for the past couple of weeks, you wouldn't expect to happen in a school, but then again, you wouldn't expect some of them to happen at all…"

**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading. It means a lot that you managed to read through the equivalent of 258 pages of drivel. Let me know if you did get this far, and I will reward you with sweeties -


End file.
